Moonrises and Shooting Stars
by Invader Kathy Starsky
Summary: In the wake of his first big battle, Aaron learns that he and his family have saved more than the lives of Duckburg. When he develops strong bonds with one of these newcomers, while unveiling secrets and meeting more new faces, how will things turn out? Rated M for possible future graphic fem/slash scenes. AU. Starts during "Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!"
1. Chapter 1

Moonrises and Shooting Stars

Warnings: Slash and femslash. Blood, violence, and light cursing. AU, OCs, and OOCness. General Lunaris is good. Angst, fluff, and sexual/graphic themes/scenes in future chapters. Other references.

Pairings: LunarisxOC, DellaxPenumbra, one-sided PenumbraxOC, FentonxGandra, ScroogexGoldie, one-sided Mark BeaksxOC, slight WebbyxDewey, hints of past/future Donald/Daisy, and slight pseudo DellaxOC.

* * *

Chapter 1: Same Earth, New Friends

Aaron blinked as he, his brother, and mother stood before a tall elegant but intimidating building that lay surrounded by trees and a nice expanse of grass. It was mostly metal and glass, with large dark tinted windows, but it was far from ugly. In fact, it looked quite aesthetically pleasing with the curves and angles of its structure. And it was tall, about five or seven stories, helping it tower over the small group alongside some of the veteran trees. It even had a few balconies, a fire escape, a covered pavilion with a fire pit, wet bar, furniture, grill, and some hanging plants, and a sizable patch of concrete that was perhaps meant to park a vehicle or two.

Despite its out of place appearance, it looked to have some homey qualities like a visible sunroom and what looked to be a greenhouse. He also noticed a medium sized pond with a small waterfall attached to it alongside quite a few beautiful, exotic looking flowers and plants. Heck, it looked like it could have passed for a hotel for workers of a high-priority business, ambassadors, or foreign exchange students.

"So, what do you think?" Flurry inquired from where she stood to Aaron's left, where she was holding Aaron's "cat," Nutmeg.

"Well, it's really nice. But why are we here?" Aaron, also known as Starcaster, said sincerely.

"Yes, would you mind explaining to my sons and I why we are currently standing here at six in the morning after they both just saved us all yesterday?" Gloria asked patiently, her annoyance well-veiled.

After the two heroes stopped the satellite turned monster yesterday, both the young Kree and Fenton, or Gizmoduck, had been given medical examinations by S.H.U.S.H. physicians while Teri, also known as Chispero, and Gyro fixed the suits. Thankfully, none of the doctors found anything amiss with their bodies and both were given the okay to go home but not before the humanoid bid goodbye to his robotic friend, both promising to keep in touch more often.

"_Good luck with the new found fame, Aaron," _the former lead engineer joked before getting into the van that took him back to the base.

The young Kree was brought back to the present when the female goshawk continued, "This has been here for the longest. It was once used as a safehouse and a sort temporary relocation for families of S.H.U.S.H. agents and those we were keeping safe from F.O.W.L.'s clutches. It hasn't been used for a little over a decade. We though we just knock it down but then we started considering others who make use of it."

"Others? What, you mean people like Fenton, Teri, and I?" the auburn-haired young man asked looking curious and became a little excited upon seeing Flurry nod.

"So, this is a sort of personal space for us?" the young Latino drake inquired.

"You three among others," the formidable agent said as she handed Nutmeg to the Cabrera matriarch. "Follow me inside."

All three obliged as they followed her into the dark Aegean tinted, glass doors. They looked around to see that entrance almost looked like a lobby to nice college dorm building, complete with some nice cream-colored, cushioned chairs and pine wood tables. The carpet was a bright, light blue and the walls were a rich, golden butterscotch yellow. Across from the door was a silvery, non-tinted glass elevator.

Stepping into the elevator, they saw the floor buttons listing from the floors one to seven alongside things like 'roof' and 'basement.' Flurry proceeded to hit the one that read 'basement' which caused the elevator to begin descending downwards. As it did so, the female goshawk proceeded to take out her phone and hand it over to the family of three who discovered that it was composed of pictures of different rooms and what not.

"As you can see, we've done a quite a few renovations," Flurry stated calmly, though there was a very near-visible tone of pride and confidence in her tone.

"No kidding!" the blooming young scientist said as his eyes rove over the photos.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say this was meant for more than just a small group," the policewoman said with interest but also suspicion.

Aaron knew neither were exaggerating as he looked through the photos again; several bedrooms, a kitchen and walk-in pantry with other kitchen appliances and apparatuses, lab and observatory, inside pool and jacuzzi, medical wing, library, rec room, and many others. There was even another showing a training room that included several different qualities of training along with a place to keep his weapons.

As they reached the basement, the doors opened and they stepped out of the elevator where they looked to see a wide expanse of empty space which they crossed before coming to another door which opened upon Flurry pressing a card up to the panel on the side.

"Key card activated only," she said simply as she ushered them in before the door shut. "It's not entirely finished but it will be in a few weeks but that doesn't mean you can't use some of the rooms or spaces."

"Thank you, this is amazing!" the young auburn-haired said with a grateful smile.

"At least now we have a place to put all that extra stuff people piled at our door," Fenton joked to his mother and brother, earning him a smile from the former and an agreeable chuckle from the latter.

Of course, he was overstating but it was mostly the truth that both Gloria and Aaron could attest to. The evening before when all three were settling in, they had gotten a knock at the door where they discovered several people from their block presenting them with gifts, most of them gifts of food and drinks, homemade in the case of the food. Those who interacted with the two brothers the most and knew of their identities had made their favorite savory dishes and bought their favorite drinks. Some had also gone through the trouble of making desserts in their favorite flavors as well.

And that morning, upon answering the knock at the door, they had not only discovered Flurry with Nutmeg, who the female goshawk had temporarily taken in case she regurgitated anything else, where they discovered another excess of gifts. Thankfully, while there were more dishes and food items, most of the other gifts were flowers, coupons, and free offerings for other stuff. Flurry just smiled and helped them put the stuff away before telling them they need to come with her.

"Thank you again for letting me borrow Nutmeg here," the formidable agent said as she scratched the female Flerken behind the ears, eliciting a purr of approval. "Something told me to take her with me yesterday evening and my instincts were right."

"Why? What happened?" the young Kree asked in surprise.

"Did she cough something else up?" the young Latino drake asked quizzically with interest.

"Did you catch the rest of those monsters?" the older Latina duck demanded hopefully.

While most of the Beagle Boys had been locked up, Graves and Heron had gotten away. None of the agents could locate where Heron had gone to after being thrown by the extraterrestrial cat (the humanoid had profusely apologized for that to which he was forgiven). Meanwhile, Graves had snuck off sometime during the tablet blowing up and the group heading toward the base. On top of that, no one had heard anything from Beaks, Glomgold, or Owlson. And though Aaron could careless about the previous two, she worried for Owlson. Was she okay? Or was she being hounded and treated as a pariah for being an unwitting victim in the science-wise criminal's schemes? He prayed she was okay.

"Something happened but it's neither of those two," the female goshawk said in reference to Fenton and Gloria's questions. "Let's just say you're gonna have some new acquaintances who will be sharing this place with you. If you're willing, that is."

"Why wouldn't I be? This place is big enough and I'm sure I'll like them," the auburn-haired young man said encouragingly.

"We'll see," the formidable agent said with a wry smile to show her doubt in his abilities was not really serious.

They soon came to another door that, once again, had to be opened by the key card, where they discovered a small room with yet another door and windows so tinted you couldn't even see through them. It reminded Aaron of the interrogation area of the DPD precinct but he quickly forgot about that when he saw who was there.

"Aaron, lad! Good morning!" Scrooge said with a happiness that the humanoid had never heard before as he gestured to the person standing beside him. "I have someone who would like to meet you."

As the person turned around to face him, the auburn-haired young man could have sworn his heart stopped. He blinked once. Then Twice. After the third or fourth blink he came to accept he was not insane as his blue orbs locked with sparkling dark ones. Her hair and clothes looked the same as they did in the picture Storkules had in his apartment. The only thing that was different was the metal prosthetic left leg.

"Aaron, Fenton, Officer Cabrera, this is my niece, Della. She's Huey, Dewey, and Louie's mother and Donald's twin," the Scottish drake said before turning to the still silent female duck. "Della, this is-"

"Moonshield!"

Aaron was startled by what she said but that didn't compare to the shock that came when she jumped and latched onto him. Though he kept himself from falling backwards onto his rear, he had to wrap his arms to support the older but smaller female who currently was cupping his face in her hands that felt soft and worn. He heard his mother and brother gasp and saw them ready to pull her off him but were stopped by both the formidable agent and the eldest duck.

"I can't believe it!" Della said as she looked deeper into his eyes. "We thought you were dead! I mean, yeah, Uncle Scrooge told us you survived and so did Flurry, but we needed to see it to believe it! You look just like we remember! Except for, you know, your suit's a bit different. And so is your hair. But who cares?! You're here! And I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you!"

The young Kree stared at her speechlessly before saying, "You're welcome?"

Laughing a bit at the confusion, the richest duck in Duckburg spoke up, "Della's been on the Moon all this time."

"Are you serious? I was on the Moon weeks ago and yesterday!" Aaron asked in disbelief.

"We know. We saw your calling card that you left on the Moon awhile back," the mother of triplets said with a smile.

"What does she mean calling card?" the Cabrera matriarch finally asked, getting over her own shock.

"I carved my star symbol onto a rock on the Moon," the humanoid explained before turning his attention back to Della. "If I had known you were there, I would have brought you home sooner to be with your kids."

As he said that last sentence, his eyes widened as his pupils shrank before he shouted, causing her to jump off him, "Moon, Earth, and Sun! Do the boys know?! Has anyone called Donald?! Has-!?"

"Bless me bagpipes, calm down lad!" the world's greatest adventurer scolded but had a reassuring tone. "Yes, the boys know! They even met her yesterday when we came home! Right now, they're sleeping off yesterday's excitement. We haven't called Donald yet because we want it to be a surprise."

"I bet," the auburn-haired young man grinned before wincing as he added apologetically to the Duck matriarch. "I'm sorry. It was my idea to send Donald away on a cruise. I told him I would look after the triplets and that he should get some relaxation. If only we had waited a few days."

"Well, that just gives me time to plan the best welcome home for my twin, doesn't it?" Della inquired with a bright smile and cheerful tone that the young Kree couldn't help but grin at before she added. "I've waited over a decade to see my brother again. One more month won't kill me."

"You've been on the Moon for ten years?!" the young blooming scientist practically yelled. "How did you survive?"

Not a second later, before snapped their fingers in unison before saying, "Oxy-Chew."

"Man, I feel terrible now complaining about the Oxy-Chew," the young intern said sheepishly. "At least I only needed to chew it for a few hours."

"You said 'we' before," Gloria said curiously and cautiously. "Who are you talking about?"

"She's referring to the people who I was telling you about," Flurry explained patiently. "The ones who I hope you'll be able to get along with."

"And I told you, they'll love him! We've all made that clear!" the aircraft loving anthro said to the older female, a bit impatiently.

At that moment, a loud thud came from behind the tinted windows along with muffled noises that sounded like yelling.

"What was that?!" Fenton yelled in shock.

The formidable agent calmly turned to a panel on the door and flicked on a switch. The room lit up but not due to lights on the ceiling but from the windows themselves becoming clear. Only the family of three's stared in complete shock at what they saw.

Behind the glass were two strange individuals. The one that appeared to be male had medium dark mint skin and eyes like teal orbs, body looking muscular, more so than Launchpad's but less so than Storkules' while looking like he was very much taller than Aaron. The second one, who was shorter and looked to be female, had pale lilac skin, and wisteria colored eyes. This one looked like she was taller than the ducks anthros but shorter than Teri was and looked quite fit as well. Neither had ears or noses and wore garments that looked like they were made from gold with some soft, creamy daffodil yellow accents, the female's looking more covered up than the male's who's outfit mostly consisted of a gold cape. They both wore gloves and helmets, the former showing they had two fingers and one thumb on each hand. And the last thing is that both looked stressed and anxious, the female looking infuriated, as they paced around the room, not seeming to have seen the other group.

"What in the-?" the young Kree breathed in astonishment and confusion.

"You said there was life on the Moon," the female goshawk cut in.

"Yeah, I did but what I saw didn't look anything like these two," the auburn-haired young man stated, not looking at the formidable agent. "Who are they?"

"The male's name is General Lunaris and the female's name is Lieutenant Penumbra," Flurry stated coolly" "Della calls her Penny, though."

"And these guys were on the Moon?" the humanoid said curiously. "I only ever saw those gold-eating lunar mites."

"That's because their city is hidden holographically," the mother of triplets explained. "There's a whole city of their species. They call it Tranquility. And it's brimming with gold."

"How did you three even get to Earth? By ship?" the young Latino drake probed skeptically.

"Originally, I had the Spear of Selene, the ship I flew ten years ago when I got stuck on the Moon, almost repaired when fate gave me a surprise one-way ticket home," the Duck matriarch said. "Let me rewind. It was yesterday and I was just working on the ship when we it all happened."

* * *

_**Yesterday on the Moon, in Tranquility **_

_Della had no idea what was happening. One moment she was regaling to the Moonlanders tales of her, Scrooge, and Donald's adventures. She smiled as they stared up at her in awe, wondering, hoping really, if her boys would look at her the same way. She turned to see Penumbra and Lunaris walking towards her, the former looking as grumpy as ever while the latter had a polite, regal smile._

_Suddenly, she felt tremors, ones that she was not unfamiliar with as she encountered them many times while trying to get home in the past ten years before meeting the Moonlanders. _

_She was proven right when she heard Palus scream, "Moon-mites!" _

_Quickly, the citizens of the lunar metropolis scattered, many of them screaming, while the two guardians withdrew their weapons and began racing for the city's entrance where Palus had pointed at, Della following close behind, forgetting about the Spear for a moment. Reaching the entrance, they saw that indeed there was a whole horde of Moon-mites, most of them large ones with two or three baby mites hanging on them. And all of them were running around the city's holographic dome while others, those who looked like adolescent or childless, began to burrow into the Moon's crust._

"_They're gonna break into the city!" the Moon Lieutenant shouted, spear aimed, ready to strike down anything that dare break through the barrier. _

"_Stand your ground," the Moon General said firmly but more calmly, blaster out and pointed._

_Della merely stood beside them, sensing something was wrong._

_The gold-eating insectoids seemed almost…scared. It appeared that they were pushing each other not out of a starving frenzy but in a franticness to get past the city or be somewhere else. She saw Kana and Torn, the mother Moon-mite and baby she helped (don't ask her how she knew, she just did), run past looking quite panicked. She turned to see the two warrior Moonlanders still positioned with their weapons aimed, clearly alarmed by the whole thing._

"_Guys, I don't think they're attacking," the aircraft loving anthro said carefully._

"_Oh, really?! Sure looks like it to me!" Penumbra snapped irritably, obviously not enjoying the Earther's input. _

_However, Lunaris was quicker to look again and say, "No Lieutenant Penumbra, Della's right."_

"_Huh?" the hostile moon resident inquired in confusion._

_They all stopped to watch as the horde quickly disappeared as quickly as they came. All three continued to wait for what seemed like forever, though it was really ten or so minutes, before they were finally reassured that there would be no attacks. By this time, several of the citizens had ventured out of their homes and come to stand behind their protectors._

"_What in Tranquility was that about?" the lilac-colored soldier snapped incredulously with a aggravation._

"_I think they were fleeing," the Duck matriarch said slowly._

"_The question is from what? There are no predators larger or fiercer than the Moon-mites," the mint-colored soldier murmured. "So, what-?"_

_The question was answered before he even had time to finish the question as a massive tremor, more massive than anything anyone on the Moon has ever experienced, shook their surroundings, causing many of the citizens to fall over or onto their fellows. In the distance, the two Moon guardians and mother of triplets could see a large cloud of Moon dust from where whatever had struck the Moon had landed. All three began to venture to the entrance, eyes locked on where they could see the spot from the one-sided walls of the protective shield. They paused for a moment, waiting for something. Anything. _

_Finally, Della spoke first, saying uncertainly, "Maybe it was a small-?"_

_She didn't get to finish as something the color of the Sun rose up and began dashing straight towards them. The trio of heroes backed away quickly just as the blur smacked right into the entrance, causing a loud sickening crack as crooked lines appeared on the door. But that was not the most frightening part. Slowly, it rose to reveal itself to be a creature made of fiery plasma with long horns and equally long claws, a whip-like tail, and heavy metal armor. _

_Trying to hide the alarm in her voice, Penumbra spoke quietly to Della, "Have you seen anything like this on Earth?"_

_Full of shock and dread, Della could only whisper, "No."_

"_Craters," the Moon Lieutenant snarled under her breath._

_The demonic-looking creature seemed to scan the area before it, looking as though it was sizing up the crowd and city._

"_C-Can it see us?" Gibbous gulped._

_His question was morbidly when what could only be described as the creature's tongue flickered out of its hellish mouth with equally horrifying plasma fangs and proceeded to lick the shield, causing the offended area to spark and glitch. _

"_It's going to come in here! It's going to kill us all!" Zenith wailed, resulting in a majority of her neighbors, friends, and family screaming and panicking before being signaled to be quiet by their protectors._

"_Look!" one of the others, a pale blue male with white hair named Nebulos._

_Everyone looked to see that the intruder appeared to have perched himself in front of the door, evident by its knees and horns sticking out. A moment after this happened, the crack on the door began to glow a angry reddish orange and similar cracks began to form under the door and on its sides. _

"_Everyone, get back!" the Moon General shouted as he, his Lieutenant, and the mother of triplets began to usher everyone away, eyes never leaving the door._

_Just as they were sure the door would burst and the creature would charge in, something amazing happened._

_A figure in a silvery suit with some royal blue leaped up with a advanced-looking shield and struck the creature, eliciting howls of pain as the benevolent newcomer spoke, "Hey, ugly! Didn't forget about me, did you!?"_

_All of the city's inhabitants, included the three protectors, watched in awe as the heroic new arrival dug his shield into the neck as the said opponent attempted to buck the other off._

"_Who is that?" Palus asked._

_The aircraft loving anthro looked closely and gasped, "Guys, look! That star on his chest!"_

_The two Moon guardians looked and gasped, the jade soldier speaking, "It looks like the star symbol we found!"_

_Their hearts nearly stopped when the enemy succeeded in bucking off the other off before grabbing him, holding him down, and bringing a claw to the pinned newcomer's face._

"_He needs help!" the Duck matriarch cried out. _

_The trio proceeded to run to the door and where the Moon leader pressed his hand against the circular panel to open it…only for nothing to happen!_

"_Let me try!" the Moon warrioress snapped as she pushed past the other two and pressed her own hand against it which again did nothing._

"_Sucker must have broken it! We can't get out!" Della shouted in horror. _

_Though the other had managed to pull himself away and was currently engaged in a vicious, but impressive in many eyes, one-on-one fight with the beast, the three knew that they could no longer stand by._

"_Somebody, run and get Ephemeris and Obscurin, now!" Lunaris shouted, causing a young purple male Moonlander named Aphelion, to snap around and run towards another part of the city._

_They continued to watch helplessly as the two unknown beings fought and were impressed that, in spite of the size difference, the silver and blue suited arrival could hold his own against the malevolent being. Gasps of astonishment wafted through the crowd as they saw him tear the larger challenger's metal arm off. _

"_He's strong!" the determined female duck said with a whistle._

"_He's a fighter," Lunaris nodded in awe._

"_He's a soldier," Penumbra cut in with equal amazement. _

_Their jaws dropped in shock and fear as the creature slammed its naked, plasma fist into the lunar soil, and before long, formed a new arm of gold. _

"_Blathering blatherskite! It can do that too?" they heard the blue and silver warrior cry out before saying to his opponent. "Well, a pretty new arm isn't gonna save you from what getting what's coming to you!"_

_They watched as gold fist met shield and the two begin to fight again when they heard someone call out, "We're here!"_

_They turned to see Aphelion return with a male Moonlander with cobalt blue skin and indigo eyes with a white mane and a female Moonlander with dark violet skin, eggplant colored eyes, and hair in a bun with two sticks arrive. The male had a golden sword and was wearing clothing not unlike Lunaris' while the female wore a dress not unlike a Qipao dress and had a golden box. The male was Obscurin, sentry of the prison (which was rarely used as the only time a Moonlander would be arrested would be for fighting with their neighbors and so on). Ephemeris was the one of the few Moonlanders who did maintenance on the city's dome. _

"_What's going on?!" Obscurin demanded, eyes widening in shock at the two-person war happening outside._

"_No time! We gotta help him but the door's stuck!" the aircraft loving anthro said desperately._

_Immediately, the purple one, Ephemeris opened her box and took out a tool that looked like a aesthetically impossible door pick before opening a small panel in the corner and frowning angrily, "Which one of those two did this?!"_

"_The larger one," Lunaris said firmly._

"_Well, I hope that shied-wielder leaves me something to take apart when he's done," Ephemeris said angrily._

"_Just hurry!" Penumbra snapped._

"_Don't rush her!" Obscurin snapped._

"_Silence! The both of you!" the Moon leader snapped. _

_They were all silenced when they turned to see the creature grab the smaller challenger and begin slamming him everywhere and anywhere. Sensing the growing panic in everyone around her seemed to make Ephemeris work harder but it was in vain. The beast soon dropped the still body to the ground before proceeding to stomp back over to its spot._

"_We have to move," Obscurin said urgently as he urged Ephemeris and Aphelion down the stairs while the two Moon guardians and the mother of triplets stood their ground, albeit taking a few steps away, watching as the cracks began to slowly regain their insidious glow._

_Della looked up and saw that the newcomer had rolled onto his back, "Hey, he's still alive!"_

_Both Lunaris and Penumbra looked and saw she was right, their keen eyesight helping them see that he was even breathing. _

_Without warning, Della threw herself at the shield, banging on it and yelling, "Wake up! You can do it! We need you! They need you! You can't quit now!"_

"_The shield is soundproof. He can't hear you," the female Moon guardian snapped after a few minutes of yelling._

"_Wanna bet?" the determine female duck shot back half playfully and half rebelliously before screaming at the top of her lungs. "C'mon, get up!"_

_And as if by magic, he did shoot up, spotting the creature for a moment before slowly and shakily standing up before running towards the creature and throwing his shield, hitting it hard. _

"_Hey, hot-head! You think this dance is over?" he yelled at the larger enemy. _

_Everyone watched with bated breath as the monster let out a guttural roar and began charging at the other who was standing still. Then, just when the golden fist was barely a hair's breadth away, he dodged before delivering a strike of his own, his shield meeting the creature's face. _

_Immediately, the Moonlanders all began cheering as the newcomer continued to deliver blows to the Moon's newest threat. Della saw that both Moon General and Moon Lieutenant were looking on in excitement and fascination as he continued his barrage of attacks on the hellish beast._

"_Leave. The. Moon. Alone!" he had yelled, eliciting screams of excitement and cheers, not that he could hear them._

_Finally, when he had pinned the other down with his shield pressed into the cracking chest armor, he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "You're not getting the Moon. Or any planet. Not now. Not ever."_

"_Did you hear that?! He just called the Moon a planet! Eat it, Earther!" the lilac-colored soldier snapped with a hard victorious grin as she pointed a finger into Della's face, practically touching her beak. _

_Pushing back a blush, Della opened her beak to correct the Moon Lieutenant when they all turned to see that the beast had gotten up and sprouted wings, flapping them before taking flight off the Moon. _

_Everyone cheered until they heard the victor yell after his foe, "We finish this now!"_

_With that, two jet-like wings emitted from his back before he took off after the other with equal speed, causing some of the Moonlanders to cry out with disappointment at the departure of their home's newest Protector. _

"_Where did he go?" someone yelled from the crowd._

_All eyes looked to the stars, only to see nothing but the thousands of far off lights. They waited. And waited. _

"_What are we looking for?" another voice called out._

_All of a sudden, a flash of gold plasma washed over the starry skies, lighting the world around them with a light so bright, it made the whole city gleam. A moment of bewilderment and confusion flowed through them all, trying to figure out what had happened. _

_Aphelion suddenly looked up and shouted while pointing above him, "What's that?!"_

_Everyone looked up and their eyes widened in as they saw something causing a small space on their dome to glitch. The object quickly fell through where Aphelion himself caught it, causing his fellow Moonlanders to surround him. _

_As the trio drew close, they heard Nebulos whisper, "Oh no."_

_Upon arriving in front of Aphelion, the very much younger Moonlander looked up with sorrowful eyes as he showed them what was in his hand. A cracked blue and black disk with a familiar star symbol lay in his cupped hands. A morbid realization came over all of them._

"_Is he?" Zenith asked, tears pricking her eyes. _

"_What else could have caused that?" Gibbous said sadly._

_Gently taking the disk from Aphelion, Della began making her way back to the ship, everyone else following quietly. Upon reaching it, she climbed the ladder to the ship's platform before sitting down, rolling it in her hands, Penumbra and Lunaris right beside her whilst the rest of watched mournfully from below. _

"_We never got to thank him," Palus said sadly. "We didn't even know his name."_

"_Moonshield," Penumbra spoke without hesitation. "He wielded that shield to defend our home."_

_Lunaris heard his people murmur and nod in agreement but he wasn't paying attention. He reached out a finger and began tracing the star on the cracked disk. After a moment, the aircraft loving anthro walked into the ship with the two Moon guardians right behind her._

"_Have you seen anyone like him?" the male Moon guardian inquired softly._

"_No, never," the mother of triplets said with a shake of her head, turning to the two before she began tossing the disk up and down._

"_Be careful with that!" the female Moon guardian snapped, reaching to take it. "We don't know what it is!"_

_Just as she said that, and just as Della dropped the disk after tossing it too high, it began sparking. Suddenly, a cosmic blue glow began to emit before expanding, blinding everyone as it continued to expand before enveloping the three. Lines of energy seemed to trace up the pace all around them as they heard the rocket begin to ignite and rumble. They all turned to see all the openings to the ship close. _

"_Lunaris! Penumbra! Della!" the Moon sentry's cries were the last thing they heard as everything turned into a blur._

_**End **_

* * *

"The disk must have become unstable due to the final fight Aaron had with the Solenestrite Titan," Fenton said logically.

"Jet said the same thing," the determined female duck said before quickly correcting herself. "Sorry, I mean Huey! I still can't believe Donald name them those names."

"I'm sure he didn't do it out of spite," the humanoid reassured. "And if you had the coordinates set to Earth, the controls must have locked."

"I could barely move them. They must have been stuck on autopilot," Della nodded. "And there was already gold in the fuel tank. Had to do a crash landing. And the light speed energy in the disk was all tapped out. And the Spear was even more trashed than when I crashed on the Moon."

"While gold may be a good conductor of electricity and applicable to engineering, the energy of the Protoract must have been too much," the young intern again added. "That's why you lost all the energy."

"What happened after you crashed?" Gloria inquired carefully.

"Well, as you can imagine, I was happy to be back on Earth," the determined female duck said with a happy smile. "But Penumbra and Lunaris? Well, that's another story!"

* * *

_**Yesterday on Earth**_

"_YOU IMBECILIC, MOON-HATING, TWO-FACE, EARTHER TWIT!" Penumbra screamed as she ran after the person she hated so much in that moment. _

_Although very much away of her frenemy's, or class odd partner as she liked to see her, rage towards the predicament that she believed the mother of three had gotten them in, Della couldn't help but feel joy override her fear of death. She was home! Earth! Duckburg! She was going to see her family! She was gonna see her boys!_

"_YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU SET FOOT ON THE MOON!" came the Moon warrioress' cry of rage._

_If she could stay alive first!_

"_Lunaris! A little help, please!" the determined female duck called out pleadingly._

_Lunaris, who had been in shocked and taking in his surroundings like a child, quickly realized how close Penumbra was to striking Della with her spear, he jumped into action as he ripped the weapon away and said firmly, "That is enough, Lieutenant! What's done is done! Hurting Della will only worsen the situation."_

"_The situation is already at it's worse!" she screamed at her fellow Moonlander, waving the depleted disk in his face. "We're stuck on this trash ball with no way to get home!"_

_Ripping the disk away, he argued back, "And how will hurting her help us? What do you think will happen if more Earthers come along and see you attacking and trying to maim one of their own?"_

_Finally seeing some sense, the violet soldier calmed down, but proceeded to fold her arms and pout like an angry teenager. _

"_Guys look, I'm really sorry that this happened. I wanted you two to see Earth but I would never wish for you two be separated from your people so suddenly like I was," Della said sincerely, eyes sparkling with remorse and concern before smiling. "But like I said, my family can do anything! If you come with me, we can figure this out! What do you say?"_

"_It sounds like a decent plan. Thank you, Della," the Moon leader nodded gratefully before turning to Penumbra. "How do you feel about this course of action, Penumbra?"_

_After a moment, Penumbra rolled her eyes and huffed begrudgingly, "Fine!"_

"_Great! Follow me!" she chirped as they followed her._

_As they followed her, she smiled as they looked at all their surroundings, taking in the cloud-dotted sky that was currently a pinkish-orange from the setting Sun to the random, man-made signs. At the same time, the guilt still bubbled in her as she realized they would have to face the same trials she did when she came to their home. However, all of the nearly disappeared when she came across a familiar sight that warmed her heart better than a fire and made tears begin to develop._

"_What is it?" the male Moon guardian inquired worriedly._

"_I'm home," the aircraft loving anthro said as she gestured to the gated driveway that way on for miles that led up to a large mansion. _

"_Lovely," the Moon warrioress said unenthusiastically with a distasteful frown._

_They quickly made their way to the gate where Della proceeded to press the button and speak into the intercom, "Hello?! Anyone there? Donald? Uncle Scrooge?! Duckworth?! It's me!"_

_A moment passed without an answer._

"_They're not home," an elderly voice said from behind._

_All three turned around to see an elderly male drake with glasses, gray mustache, and sideburns staring at them casually. He was dressed in a blue and white striped shirt and beside him sat a cocoa brown and white Australian Shepherd. _

"_Excuse me?" the Duck matriarch said._

"_Scrooge McDuck and his family are still out," the elderly duck said. _

"_What's that?" the female Moon guardian inquired, pointing at the pup. _

"_This here is Milo," the elderly duck smiled fondly._

"_Guys, that's a dog," Della said with a smile._

"_So that's what a dog looks like. Gibbous and Zenith have been talking about them since you mentioned them," the Moon General said with a curious look. _

_Suddenly, Milo let out an excited bark and pulled away from his owner. Without warning, he bounded up to Lunaris before jumping up and delivering a wet, sloppy lick to his face. Caught off guard, he stumbled back a little as he wiped the slobber off. The young quadruped then turned her attention to Penumbra, who's eyes widened bigger than saucer plates._

"_No, no, no!" she chanted but it was too late as Milo jumped on her, succeeding in knocking her to the ground before licking her cheek repeatedly. "Unhand me, drooling Earth beast!"_

_Quickly grabbing the leash, the dog owner pulled his companion off, "No, Milo! Sorry, he just likes meeting new people."_

"_It's okay!" the mother of triplets reassured as she helped her reluctant ally back up while telling the two. "When a dog does that, it means they like you."_

"_It's an interesting way to show it," the Moon leader said as he smiled through a cringe._

"_If by interesting you mean disgusting," the Moon Lieutenant muttered lowly._

"_As I was saying, McDuck's not there," the passerby continued. "But he better get home soon because he's got kids living with him. And from my experience, kids tend to leave things unlocked."_

"_Thank you, sir," Della said, her heart palpitating at the mention of her boys._

"_Please, call me Stan," the drake smiled before going on his way._

_Once he was gone, the determined female duck turned to the gate and proceeded to startle her companions by trying and jump it only to fail, sliding down on the outside of the bars._

"_Dumb Earth gravity," she growled as she began climbing the bars. "Won't keep me from the kids!"_

"_At least we can agree on that," the lilac-colored soldier griped in annoyance. "Hey Dummy, didn't you just here that other Earther?"_

"_I'm surprised that he didn't react negatively to our presence," the mint-colored soldier murmured out loud._

_As she jumped to the other side, the mother of triplets proceeded to mess with the metal box on the inside part of the gate. The doors quickly opened before the two Moonlanders._

"_C'mon!" Della encouraged, not seeming to have heard either, too excited by the prospect of seeing her family very soon._

_The two followed her as they made their way up the driveway that seemed to take forever (even Della herself said so). Finally reaching the manor itself, Della ran up to the door and hesitated for a moment before gingerly twisting the doorknob to discover that it was unlocked. _

"_Oh my gosh, they did leave the door unlocked!" she gasped. "If I wasn't so elated, I would be mad that Donald and Scrooge haven't taught the kids to make sure to lock everything up before leaving."_

"_Again, what are we going to do? They're not home," Penumbra reiterated in frustration._

"_That's why we gonna surprise them!" the Duck matriarch grinned, opening the door wide. "Come in! Mi casa es tu casa!" _

"_What?" both Moonlanders said in a unified confusion._

"_That's just a fun way to say my home is your home," the determined female duck said giddily._

"_That sounds very eloquent," the Moon leader smiled politely._

"_It sounds like a trap," the Moon warrioress said warily before yelping as she and her fellow Moon Guardian were half pushed, half herded into the manor by Della who had gone and went behind them._

"_It'll be fun!" she said cheerily as they passed the threshold while the aircraft loving anthro closed the door. "And you guys can help me find the best way to introduce myself to my kids!"_

_The Moon Lieutenant let out a groan of displeasure, none of the three noticing how the door hadn't fully closed._

_**End**_

* * *

"Even after practicing for over an hour, I didn't get it right," Della huffed before saying with a smile. "But when I hugged my boys for the first time, none of it mattered."

"Getting you back is all they ever wanted," Aaron gave her a soft, kind smile which she returned.

Although the Cabrera matriarch, as well as everyone else in the room, had on a soft smile, she quickly asked in an apprehensive tone, "Why are those two locked in there then? How dangerous are they?"

"Well," Scrooge began slowly, a humorous and sheepish look crawling onto his face. "Things took a bit of a tailspin."

* * *

_**Yesterday at the Manor**_

_Once she was done hugging her boys, she gently turned them to meet the two Moonlanders who had been watching the whole scenario in silence, "Boys, I want you to meet two very special friends. General Lunaris and Lieutenant Penumbra. They and their people took me in awhile ago when they found me in the Moon desert."_

"_The Wastes," the lilac-colored soldier corrected in exasperation._

"_It's a pleasure to meet all of you," the mint-colored soldier said with a bit of a bow._

"_Wait! They're from the Moon, too?!" shouted the female duckling._

_Both Moonlanders turned to look at Webby, staring up at them with equal curiosity and confusion, "How come no one has ever spotted you guys on the Moon? Including Aaron?"_

"_Our city is well hidden from you Earthers," Penumbra said in stand-offish tone with a strong tinge of pride._

"_Who's Aaron?" Lunaris inquired in a purely perplexed tone._

"_You guys didn't see? Aaron was on the Moon kicking a solar monster's butt!" Dewey shouted excitedly, punching his fists and kicking his feet in an attempt to mimic kung-fu._

"_Wait! You mean you guys know Moonshield?" the Duck matriarch asked in utter disbelief. _

"_Auburn hair, suit with a star, awesome moves?" Louie asked to which his mom and the two Moon guardians nodded vigorously. "Yup! That's him!"_

"_But here on Earth, we call him Starcaster," Huey piped up._

"_Pfff, Moonshield is a much better name," the Moon warrioress mumbled under her breath._

_Unknown to anyone, Lunaris was repeating both names to himself, letting them sit on his tongue like they were new flavors he had never had before. And he seemed to be enjoying them._

"_The only life Aaron claimed to have seen on the Moon were gold-eating giant insects," the bubblegum-clothed duckling said._

"_Man, he's gonna feel silly when he meets you guys," the green-clothed duckling couldn't help but snort._

"'_When?' Did you say 'when?' As in he's gonna come and see us? As in he's alive?" the mother of triplets asked in complete shock. _

"_Yes, of course he is," the Scottish drake nodded with a reassuring smile before his shoulders were grabbed by two golden gloved hands and he was turned to face wide wisteria eyes._

"_Say that again!" the lilac-colored soldier demanded with urgency._

"_He's alive," the world's greatest adventurer nodded, a little startled by the Moon Lieutenant._

_Both Moonlanders turned to each other, eyes full of silent excitement before turning back to him where the Moon leader proceeded to ask hopefully, "May we meet him? We wish to thank him for saving our home."_

"_I thank that'll be up to me to arrange."_

_Everyone turned to see Flurry standing in the doorway, hands on her hips, "But whether he wants to meet you is up to him."_

"_Flurry?!" Della gasped. "Is that you?"_

"_In the feathers," the female goshawk declared coolly before gesturing to the two newcomers. "Good to see you again, Della. But all greetings aside, these two have to come with me."_

"_And who are you to demand anything of us?" Penumbra snapped defensively._

"_I'm the one who decides whether you meet Starcaster or get relocated so the public don't fly into hysterics or throw stuff at you," the formidable agent said without any sign of backing down, eyes landing on their blasters and the female Moon guardian's spear. "Especially if you're coming here with weapons."_

"_We're not going anywhere!" the lilac soldier snapped, ready to draw her spear but was startled when something from behind pulled it out of her grasp._

_She and Lunaris whipped around to find the undauntable housekeeper glaring at them while calmly stating, "I'll be taking this. We do not point spears at other guests."_

"_Agent 22?!" the mother of triplets stared in surprise._

"_Meow!" _

_All eyes turned and fell on the furry bundle that strode in past the female goshawk and began making her way to the two lunar visitors. _

"_Nutmeg!" the ducklings crowed in astonishment._

"_Aw, hi cutie!" Della cooed as she reached down to pet it._

"_What is that? Some sub-species of dog?" the Moon leader asked curiously as he stared at the new creature._

"_It's a cat," the determined female duck said. "Way different from a dog."_

"_Actually, she's a Flerken!" the eldest triplet piped up. "Looks similar to a cat, only-!"_

_Before he could finish that sentence, the Duck matriarch and her guests nearly jumped out of their skins as tentacles shout out of the creature's mouth. Two of them reached towards the Moonlanders and ripped their blasters out of their holsters while a third took the spear from the British duck who calmly let it go, face completely stoic. Then, as quickly as they appeared, the tentacles and their prizes retreated into the furry bundle's mouth. Nutmeg merely mewled and began washing her face._

"_They do that," the youngest triplet finished casually for his oldest brother. _

_After a few moments, Della said, "Okay, we seriously need to catch up."_

_**End**_

* * *

"Thankfully, we didn't need to get those two out in cuffs or sedate them," Scrooge said before adding. "But they're reasonably not happy with their situation."

"What is it you guys need?" Aaron asked slowly but with much interest.

Taking out the disk that had no doubt been returned by Della earlier, Flurry rolled it in her hands before saying, "To make a long story short, we need you to watch over them. Keep them out of trouble. Teach them about Earth customs. Make sure they stay safe and are safe around others."

The young Kree looked shocked for a moment before saying, "I'm flattered but are you sure you want me to do it? I mean, Della's known them longer than I have."

"Della will also be doing the same thing but from the way they've been asking about you, we think it would make them more comfortable and accepting of Earth," the Scottish drake explained. "Plus, Della is also gonna be busy with the boys and I."

The auburn-haired young man suddenly understood and nodded, trying to hide a blush of shame. Of course, the aircraft loving anthro would not be able to focus on her friends, especially now that she had kids to focus on. Not to mention the fact the power source that had brought them here came from him. Sure, Teri made the disks but the Protoract energy was the key component. The component that separated the two behind the glass from their people. He felt so guilty. Not about helping Della get back to her kids but causing two innocent people to be taken from their own.

"The choice is yours, mi Estrellito," Gloria soothed, seeing her youngest struggling to make a decision but turned sharply to the three other anthros. "But I am not housing those two. Especially that little spitfire. Having weapons without safeties on them! The nerve!"

Sensing who the Cabrera matriarch was referring to, Della spoke up, "Penny's not bad! She's just a little on the edgy side!"

"It's alright. Both will be staying with us," the eldest duck reassured professionally.

"And you're sure they won't hurt my brother?" Fenton inquired a bit distrustfully.

"He's all they've asked about since we've brought them here," the formidable agent stated simply. "And there's really no way out of this. We're gonna allow them to use this facility. Hopefully, it'll appease them until we get the ship fixed. So, might as well get acquainted with them."

"Dr. Gearloose isn't participating in the reconstruction?" the blooming young scientist probed in surprise. "But it was his creation."

"Gyro hasn't…quite forgiven himself for what building the Spear of Selene," the richest duck in Duckburg said quietly.

"Plus, it's pretty banged up, so we're having it transported to another location for repairs," the female goshawk added. "Alongside the Protoract. So, it'll be awhile before they're able to go home."

"I'll do it," Aaron finally said.

Everyone turned to him, his brother speaking, "You sure, Hermanito?"

"It's my fault they're stuck here in the first place," the auburn-haired young man said. "If I hadn't let that thing fall onto the Moon or left my disk there, they wouldn't have been ripped from their home or their people."

"The only one to blame is Black Heron," the world's greatest adventurer said sternly. "And if it weren't for you, many lives would have been lost. And we would have never been able to see Della again. You're a hero. The both of you are."

Upon that, the young Latino duck nodded and smiled before blinking in surprise as his phone, signaled a message. Barely a few seconds later, the older Latina duck got a message on her phone as well. Comically, both simultaneously made faces of aggravation and displeasure.

"Dr. Gearloose needs me at the lab stat," Fenton said, reading his message.

"Chief Hatchway says one officer is coming in late because his son is coming home from the army. She needs me there," Gloria put in.

"And we really should get back to the mansion. We left Beakley alone with the kids," the eldest duck said, his niece nodding while he took out what looked to be key card of his own. "You two can ride with us. We came with two other agents. That way the three of them can ride together and get better acquainted. If they wish to that is."

Flurry nodded before adding while taking Nutmeg from the policewoman, "We'll leave her here in case she coughs their weapons back up."

The Cabrera matriarch nodded as she and her oldest began following the two adventurous ducks out but not before turning and saying, "If either of those two hurt him, physically or verbally, they're gonna have a long stay in a cell. With _electric bars_."

"Understood," the female goshawk nodded.

Once the door had closed behind the four retreating ducks, she turned to the humanoid, "How do you wanna go about this, kid?"

The young Kree thought for a moment before saying, "Can we use the sunroom? I think it might help them feel better to see the outside. Make them feel less like they're in danger."

"Good call," Flurry nodded, petting Nutmeg before handing Aaron the tablet and something else. "We'll meet you up there."

The auburn-haired young man saw that the tablet had been changed to a map of the facility with a red dot. The other item in question turned out to be a key card containing his eye and hair color, age (both biological and technical), birthdate (year left out thankfully), species, height and weight (he remembered how Fenton took both for fun), and even his name. It read; Aaron Vellvett-Cabrera, causing him to smile.

"You ready for this?" the formidable agent asked, voice becoming serious, her eyes following.

"As ready as I'll ever be," the humanoid said as he left the room to go wait in the first level.

_Which is not very much, _he thought nervously to himself.

* * *

Here is chapter 1 of the sequel to "Lonely Star No More." And yes, I am doing a fic where Lunaris is *gasp* is a good guy and in a relationship?! Yeah, he may be a villain in canon, but I see him as a tragic villain because everything he believes is based on everything his father taught him to fear. And yes, I'm a sympathetic Lunaris fan! I apologize for nothing. Obscurin and Ephemeris are my OCs. Nebulos is the Moonlander who Penumbra shoved past and the one who said "Oh, no!" in "The Golden Spear." Aphelion is the one who was standing behind Nebulos and Zenith and a blue female in the episode as well. Like I said, this is an AU/crossover. Don't like, don't read or leave any nasty comments. Everyone else, Happy Readings!


	2. Chapter 2: Moons and Stars

Chapter 2: Moons and Stars

If anyone had told Lunaris or Peumbra, when they were first starting out in their roles as protectors of the Moon, that they would someday find themselves on Earth stuck in an Earther facility of some sort, they would have locked them up for making threats.

But now, they would have taken that person's words to heart.

"_Always be wary of the Earth and its inhabitants, my son" _Meridian had said constantly throughout Lunaris's childhood.

At the time, the mint-colored Moonlander had always thought that his father's fears were bordering past unreasonable. But now, as much as the Moon General hated to admit it, he was starting to feel like there was some truth to his father's Anti-Earth philosophy. Even with Della reassuring them and demanding that the Earther known as Flurry did not do anything to upset them. And even though he had just met the rest of the determined female duck's family, the four ducklings and two older ducks had also looked concerned and sympathetic towards them.

He jumped as his second-in-command threw herself again at the window part of the room they had been escorted to some time ago, muttering, "Lousy Earther holding cell won't stop me!"

Finally fed up with his fellow Moon guardian's persistent and rash actions, he snapped, "Penumbra, please! Stop it!"

"I am not going to stay trapped in this forsaken holding!" the lilac-colored soldier snapped. "Especially not one crafted by the planet where that monster came from!"

During their transport, the female goshawk had explained to the two how the creature that Starcaster (Penumbra still insisted on calling him Moonshield) had defeated had originated from Earth. It had even been created by one of their own as they were tone. That explanation had, as Lunaris expected, the Moon Lieutenant in such a rage that her male companion had barely managed to hold her back.

"Yelling and attempting to assault the Earthers won't solve the situation," the male Moon guardian said sharply with a narrowed gaze. "If anything, you're just demonstrating their belief that they were in the right to lock us here."

"We didn't even come to their dirtball by choice!" the female Moon guardian hissed dangerously.

"That does not-," the Moon General began, feeling like his patience was waning, when they heard a noise that caused both to freeze.

The sweet sound of the door creaking open had them both snapping their heads so fast that it was a miracle that they didn't break their own necks. The doorway was momentarily dark and emptied before a familiar (and unwanted figure in Penumbra's view) appeared. Before the Moon Lieutenant could think of anything to do, another ominous figure stepped in. Both Moonlanders froze up as their eyes met the cool cornflower blue eyes of Nutmeg who looked at them with a calm and curious expression. They only further tensed as Flurry picked her up and proceeded to stroke her, almost looking pleased to see how the mighty lunar warriors were cowed by the small fluffball.

"If you two are done acting like entitled twin delinquents," the formidable agent said pointedly. "I'm taking you to meet a special someone."

The female exchanged looks with her male counterpart before obeying as they followed Flurry out of the room. Once again, they found themselves going through the halls before arriving at the elevator where they halted a bit before venturing again into the small space. Neither dared to touch the buttons, holding back their curiosity for fear of annoying the unpredictable Flurry or, more specifically, the "cat." Upon reaching the lobby-like space they had seen when they were first brought to the strange Earth building, Flurry brought them down another hall, this one more friendly, which led to a simple (primitive in Penumbra's opinion) pale blue wooden door.

Opening the door, the female goshawk put down the extraterrestrial cat who bounded in before turning to them and whispering in a wise tone to them, "Try to listen to hear him out better than you did with me. And don't throw punches. Not that he can't handle himself."

Lunaris and Penumbra blinked in confusion before stepping inside where their mouths dropped open and their eyes widen at who they saw.

Aaron smiled as Nutmeg rubbed against legs, never stopping her purring before looking up himself and his eyes widened but managed to keep his jaw shut. For a whole minute, they just seem to observe each other. The auburn-haired young man saw that the lilac-colored soldier was a bit taller than he had given her credit for but still a little shorter than Teri while the mint-colored remained a good four or so inches taller than the humanoid. He felt his pulse race a bit as he realized that, in spite of their unique appearance and clothing, both looked immensely attractive.

Meanwhile, neither Moonlander could take their eyes off the young Kree standing straight and still as they were. While they took notice of the slight change of his suit and the golden streak in his hair, the latter they knew was not there when he fought the beast that threatened their city, they were pleased to realize it was him. Now that the mask portion of his suit was off, they could see his soft, pale blue eyes. It was strange, as Moonlander eyes always tended to be darker than their skin color, but not unpleasant. Whereas the Moon warrioress was observing Aaron like a rare but powerful being, the Moon leader couldn't stop himself from eyeing every part of the humanoid like he was a mythical flower he had been searching for. And he took note how his heart felt like it had begun to increase its beats when Aaron cocked his head slightly.

Having grown tired of the tense silence, the auburn-haired young man took a step forward as he offered his hand, "Hello, it's an honor and a pleasure to meet you two. I-"

Before another word could escape his lips, the female Moon guardian, in the blink of an eye, slinked up so she was barely three inches away. Without warning, she grabbed his hand but did not shake it. Instead, she seemed to _examine _his hand, wisteria orbs half suspicious and half fascinated. While the humanoid seemed to be taken aback for a moment, he made no move to stop her. In fact, he felt his lip twitch as he realized the humor in this whole situation.

Penumbra blinked as she saw he had five fingers, unlike Della's four or her own three. And despite the parts where the suit covered up his hand, she saw that the exposed spaces of his hand showed his fingers. There were worn but not rough. They reminded her of Della's. The Moon-forsaken Earther was always prodding and poking the Moon warrioress. Hugging too. It wasn't that it hurt (nothing can hurt Lieutenant Penumbra of Tranquility), but it felt weird. Almost good weird…

_Ugh! What am I thinking?! _the lilac-soldier screamed in distaste in her head, balking at the idea that she had developed something more than mere tolerance the determined female duck.

Both were immediately shaken from their focus on each other when the Moon General gave a loud cough into his fist, getting both of their attention while, unknown to them, startling himself in the process. Had he really done that? The mint-colored soldier had always believed himself to be a patient individual, having been taught self-restraint at an early age. While he didn't so much as mind that Penumbra was acting the way she was, Tranquility knows the other Moonlanders would be doing the same (even Lunaris was tempted), something stirred in him. It was strange mixture of feelings and thoughts that ran about inside him vigorously like two starving Moon-mites fighting for a small scrap of the Moon's minerals.

_Why am I getting impatient? _Lunaris thought to himself, worry creeping in a little.

Gently pulling his hand away, feeling a little more than guilty when he saw a slight look of disappointment cross the Moon warrioress' face, as he turned to the taller male and offered his hand, "I'm sorry for the pause. As I was saying, it's great to meet you both. General Lunaris and Lieutenant Penumbra, right?"

"That is correct," the Moon leader nodded politely with a kind smile of his own as his took the offered hand. "You have no idea how much we feel the same way about meeting you."

Something happened when their hands met, a strange, subtle surge of some invisible energy that crawled up both arms and caused both to shiver, though not in fearful or sickened way. It was almost…enjoyable.

Letting go of Lunaris's hand, ignoring the feeling of disappointment lingering in the back of his mind, the young Kree spoke, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am-"

"Moonshield," the female Moon guardian said nodding with conviction.

"Lieutenant," the mint-colored soldier scolded in a tired and reprimanding tone.

"It's fine," the humanoid reassured raising his hands up to calm down any rising arguments. "If that's what she wants to call me, so be it. I-"

He was once again interrupted but not by either of the two lunar residents as the interrupting noise in question was that of gagging and clattering. All three turned to see Nutmeg laying on top of one of the cream-colored couches with misty coastal blue pillows, the two blasters and golden spear on the wooden floor.

Aaron looked to see the two Moonlanders stare with disbelieving faces and couldn't keep the smile from stretching on his face, "It's okay. She's not gonna hurt you. She's just returning your weapons now that she knows you're not gonna hurt anyone. Or get yourselves hurt."

"I'm a highly trained warrior of the Moon. Nothing can hurt me!" Penumbra announced in a firm, confident voice.

Even so, both her and her fellow Moonlander seemed to take their time, inching for their weapons while never breaking eye contact with the currently docile Flerken before snatching their weapons and taking a few steps back.

"Let's sit down," the auburn-haired young man suggested as he took the sofa where his furry companion was laying on while the two took the other couch. "So, like I said, you can call me what you please. Everyone else in the city calls me Starcaster. My friends and family call me by my real name, Aaron. But the choice is yours."

"Aaron," Lunaris repeated the name as he did yesterday, letting wrap around his tongue like a silky ribbon. "If that is what your true name is, then that is what I will call you."

He ignored how Penumbra seem to look at him out of the corner of her eyes and gave him a look that screamed, _"You can't be serious." _

"Alright then," Aaron nodded before taking a small breath and saying. "Let me start by saying I apologize."

This startled the two both soldiers, more so than their first meeting with Nutmeg, before the male Moon guardian managed out a dubious, "You apologize?"

"Yes. I apologize that is was my tech that transported you from your planet to this one," the young Kree said sincerely and shamefully. "I am also sorry your people were endangered by the creature I was fighting. I should have done everything in my power to make it didn't touch any celestial bodies. Forgive me for the trauma and damage I have done to you and your home."

The two lunar protectors were silent, expressions of total shock painted on their faces and flooding their eyes.

Before either could speak the humanoid added, "I can understand if you and your people hate me and wish to have me punished. Heavens knows I deserve it. And if you also wish to press any repercussions for the star I carved into your home, I am prepared. All that I ask is that you not hold the Earth accountable for my actions."

When he was done, the Moon leader spoke in an incredulous tone, "You think we wish harm upon you?"

"You don't?" Aaron blinked in surprise.

"No! You saved our people!" Lunaris protested before saying in slightly sheepish tone. "And we should have been more careful with your mechanism that brought us to Earth."

"Plus, it was the Earth that the creature originated from," Penumbra added, a hint of anger in her voice though not directed at the humanoid.

"The Solenestrite Titan, or at least that's what we call it, was created by an Earth criminal named Black Heron," the auburn-haired young man explained. "She wanted to enslave the rest of the Earth. Unfortunately, she escaped being arrested and imprisoned."

"What?!" the Moon warrioress screamed before groaning in frustration. "Ugh! Of course, the Earthers couldn't control their own! Bunch of dummies!"

Ignoring his second-in-command's outburst, the Moon leader inquired with wide eyes, "Why would she do that?"

"Because she was greedy and wanted more power than any normal individual should," the young Kree said firmly with disgust in his voice. "Believe me, many people on this planet want to see her put away. Including me."

"Why? You're not an Earther," the female Moon guardian said before quirking a brow suspiciously. "Are you?"

"No, I'm not biologically a Terran," Aaron confirmed with a small shake of his head.

"Terran?" the male Moon guardian echoed.

"It's my species' word for Earther," Aaron explained simply.

"Interesting," the mint-colored soldier said, finding the word much more sophisticated than his own people's slightly derogatory word for the Earth inhabitants.

"What species are you if you're not Earther?" the lilac-colored soldier probed.

"I'm a Kree," the humanoid said casually.

"How did you end up here?" Lunaris asked carefully.

"About the same way you did," the young Kree stated. "Just took more energy for my travel than it did yours. In my reality, there is no life on the Moon."

"You're reality?" Penumbra questioned in confusion.

"My planet isn't located in this solar system or anywhere else outside of its," the auburn-haired young man said in an honest tone. "And in my universe, Terran looked similar to Kree."

"Are you serious?" the Moon warrioress demanded in a skeptical voice though her wisteria eyes widened with great intrigue.

Aaron nodded, "Yes, I spent a good amount of time on that Earth. It's actually the reason why I get along with the people on this Earth. My universe's Earth's customs and the structure of their society are identical to this Earth's."

"I see," the Moon leader nodded slowly, teal eyes filled with amazement before filling with apprehension when the furry quadruped left her perch and moved to Aaron's lap.

Sensing their unease, the young Kree said, "Don't worry. Nutmeg won't hurt you or me. I've had her my whole life. Aside from the claws, tentacles, and her ability to carry anything she swallows, she's like the felines of this planet."

As if to prove his point, the female Flerken stood up and pounced onto the Moon General's lap before he could even blink. He froze up, looking at the corner of his eye to see the Moon Lieutenant scooting a few inches away, struggling to keep her composure, her eyes never leaving the furry being either. Penumbra was never afraid of anything. To see her alarmed by something smaller than a newly hatched Moon-mite meant it was serious.

_Craters, _he thought to himself as Nutmeg proceeded to flop down on his lap roll over, exposing her belly to him.

He looked up to see the humanoid make gestures with his own hands while nodding, signaling for Lunaris to pet her stomach. Gulping, the Moon leader inched his fingers towards the extraterrestrial cat's stomach before he finally began to slowly stroke her abdomen. Immediately, her tail began to curl and she let out a rumbling purr.

"W-What is she doing?" Lunaris asked in surprise and wonder, fear dripping away like ice under the Sun.

"Purring," the auburn-haired young man answered with a sincere smile. "It means she likes what you're doing. And by extension, it means she likes you."

By now, the Moon warrioress, embarrassed by her earlier hesitance, was now also becoming curious, allowing her own hand to venture towards the feline-like being's abdomen where she too proceeded to scratch her. If Nutmeg's purring wasn't louder than a car engine before, it was now. It seemed that whatever tense atmosphere existed before had evaporated and was replaced with a peacefulness that slowly had all three smiling. When the female Flerken had enough, she got up and jumped back to her owner.

Petting her Aaron stated, "Looks like you two have another fan besides Della. Hopefully you'll get more during your short stay here, General Lunaris and Lieutenant Penumbra."

"Please, just Lunaris," the male Moon guardian insisted without hesitation.

"Penumbra," the female Moon guardian nodded as well before scrunching her face. "And I would hardly call that Earther a fan! At least you have the courtesy to call our home a planet."

"Well, a few of the planets near Hala, my birth planet, could support certain types of life but that didn't make them any less of a planet. I just thought the same should go for the Moon," the young Kree said sincerely. "When I first saw the Moon-mite, I thought life was just beginning on the Moon. I didn't know a whole city and sentient species living on the Moon. I should have fought harder to keep that thing away."

Hearing the hint of shame in the last sentence, Lunaris and Penumbra cast each other surprised and concerned glances. Why was he so upset? He saved their planet! No one was hurt! Granted, they were stuck on Earth but at least their people were safe. To hear him demonstrate such regret and shame about not knowing their whole _hidden _civilization was on the Moon sparked a sense of sympathy.

"You saved us. That's all that matters," the mint-colored soldier said firmly.

"Well, I do have to applaud you guys for being masters of disguise," the auburn-haired young man stated with an encouraging smile. "I mean, hiding a whole city of _gold_? _On the Moon? _That's impressive and amazing. Great job!"

"Well, we are the Moon," the lilac-colored soldier said proudly with a smirk.

The young Kree couldn't help but find her boldness and determination admirable. It almost reminded him of Kayla.

_Get a hold of yourself! _the humanoid told himself sharply as he felt a familiar warmth creeping to his face.

His eyes widened as he realized his face was warming up, causing him to quickly put up a hand to cover the side of his face as he turned his head for a moment, confusing both Moonlanders. It wasn't so much that he was self-conscious about his blush or the color of his blood, but he rather not explain the whole thing to them yet. Did they blush? He knew they most likely had blood but they no doubt that such strong, trained soldiers were taught to keep themselves composed.

Lunaris and Penumbra continued to watch with puzzlement as the auburn-haired young man hid his face for a few more moments. They didn't see much except for a glimpse of blue that wasn't his eyes. Suddenly in reached into what looked like some sort of compartment on his suit and pulled out a purple rectangle.

"What's that?" the Moon warrioress was quick to ask.

"This? It's called chocolate," Aaron said simply as he opened it to reveal a brown square.

"Is that what chocolate is? Della wouldn't shut up about it," Penumbra murmured in exasperation though she seemed to be eyeing the candy with inquisitiveness.

During Della's time in Tranquility, one of the many things (an emphasis on _many_) which the mother of triplets said she missed was Earth food, particularly chocolate. The Duck matriarch swore up and down to both Moon guardians that once she got home, after she reunited with her family was devour a "truck-load" of chocolate. While Tranquility had its own food which she did not hesitate in consuming, Della still stuck to the Oxy-Chew that she insisted provided her with the components that Earthers needed to survive. Lunaris and Penumbra had tried it once. _Big mistake_. They had spat it out, the Moon General being more composed and gentlemanly about it, before retreating to their quarters as the bitter taste had left them feeling queasy.

Breaking it in half, making sure they were equal parts, he offered them a piece each, "Here you go. Try some."

They took the respective pieces offered to them, Penumbra glancing at Lunaris as he sniffed his own portion, taking in the scent of cocoa, sugar, and all the other unfamiliar ingredients before popping it into his mouth. The moment the sweetness hit his tongue his eyes widened.

"Sweet Luna Mater, this is amazing!" the Moon General gasped in utter astonishment.

The moment he said that, the Moon Lieutenant consumed her own share where her eyes seemed to widen as she spoke in awe, "It's like something I dreamed of as a child."

Aaron grinned before blinking as he heard his phone signal that he got a message, taking it out, catching their attention.

"What is that?" the Moon leader asked quizzically.

"This? It's a phone. It's what Ter-, I mean Earthers, use to communicate," Aaron explained.

"We don't mind if you prefer to use your own terms," the mint-colored soldier insisted as he continued to eye the piece of Earth tech. "What are you doing?"

"Reading an email that I got from the City Council. That's the group of Terrans who govern Duckburg which is the part of Earth we are located in," the humanoid stated. "It says they're holding a small ceremony for Gizmoduck and I in honor of us saving Duckburg from Black Heron's plans."

"Who?" the lilac-colored soldier asked, quirking an eyebrow in question.

"We went up into space to destroy the mechanism which we found out too late could transform into the monster you saw me fighting," the young Kree answered. "The Solenestrite Titan separated him from me before it and I landed on the Moon."

"Well, when and where is this ceremony taking place?" the Moon warrioress inquired, less cautious than before.

"It's being held in the park and it's at eight-thirty," Aaron replied before blinking as he looked at the time. "Eight-thirty? That's in less than twenty-five minutes! What the heck?! Why did they send this last minute?"

"Does that mean you have to leave?" Lunaris asked, clearly displeased and anxious about the idea of the young Kree leaving them to be alone in the building again.

The auburn-haired young man looked at them both kindly, Scrooge's encouragement for them to become better acquainted combined with the male Moon guardian's words striking a chord in him, before saying while picking up Nutmeg, "I don't see any reason you can't come along."

This seemed to both sooth them, evident by their relieved smiles, before getting up and following him and his furry companion out the door. Upon leading them to the remaining car parked outside, he signaled to the driver that they were ready to take off. Opening the backseat door, he gestured for them to get in, handing Nutmeg to the driver who placed her in the passenger seat. Once they were both strapped in, though not without struggling with the seatbelts, before shutting the door.

"Wait! What are you doing? Aren't you getting in?" Penumbra protested in puzzlement.

Aaron smiled as he activated his jet wings, causing both Moonlanders' eyes to widen, as he said, "I'm just taking the air route. See you guys there!"

No sooner did he say that did he take off into the air and flew straight ahead, leaving both lunar residents still in amazement.

"Hey, you guys want some candy?" the driver, a middle-aged, canine anthro inquired gently, no doubt worried they would throw a fit now that the young Kree was gone. "I have hard candies and chocolate."

That certainly got their attention.

* * *

The park was quite nice looking in Lunaris's opinion with all the Earth's flora being kept into more orderly shapes and positions. He saw a few other examples of Earth architecture like a few small statues, benches, and the playground itself looked quite pleasing to the eye, if a bit colorful and abstract in his mind. Penumbra had given it a glance and thought it could use more armored exterior on the fences and that the playground could be built higher and more complicated to better train Earth's youths for combat. Despite the curiosity, neither stepped out of the vehicle upon arrival, wanting to observe from afar. They dreaded to think what would happen if the rest of Duckburg reacted negatively to their appearance. Even from their spot in the van in the parking lot, they could see their planet's newest hero quite well.

What they were really focused on now, though, was Aaron who was currently standing on stage beside a bunch of smartly dressed people and a strange-looking Earther. Although both could tell it was an avian anthro, a duck based on the person's bill, he was dressed in strong, mechanical armor. The stage itself was decorated with red, white, and blue banters and a podium, no curtain. But the most noticeable thing, in the Moon guardians' eyes, were the amount of people standing in front of the stage, voices loud with excitement as they waved and reached their hands out to the two suited people.

Some of them wore helmets that mimicked the mechanical-suited drake while others wore T-shirts with the auburn-haired young man's star symbol on them while. Some people even wore both. A few had handmade signs that read things like _Our Shooting Star _or _We Love You Gizmoduck_ and store-bought posters of the heroes that they customized. More than a couple of the children in the crowd were sitting on their parents' shoulders or being carried in their arms, waving and screamed in joy. The only ones who matched the loudness of the kids were the teenagers, namely the girls.

When one set of parents holding a four or five-year-old, a little male canine with milky brown fur and a blonde diamond on his forehead got close and the young Kree could see that the child's T-shirt was the same shade as Dewey's. The metallic silver, eight-pointed star on the front, however, was an exact duplicate of the humanoid's like all the other shirts, caps, and handkerchiefs.

He was startled when a group of young teens, barely past thirteen or fourteen, popped up at the front of the stage and screamed, "WE LOVE YOU STARCASTER AND GIZMODUCK!"

A group of police officers, ones he saw either at the ball or tied up the day prior, and shooed the teens back into the crowd while shooting bright smiles at the two heroes.

Feeling a friendly hand on his shoulder, Aaron turned to see the techno hero smiling brightly at him, "You're doing great, Hermanito. M'ma's sorry she can't be here but she's stuck at work. Still a lot of Beagle Boys to process into the police database. But she says we're going out to dinner later."

"It's okay," the humanoid insisted, patting the comforting hand. "Surprises me how quick they got everything cleaned up."

Fenton only chuckled, "That's Duckburg. Always bouncing back."

In spite of his brother's reassurances and the cheers of the crowd, Aaron couldn't but feel…off. Not a tired off or an unhappy off. But just…off. It was a combination of feeling some strange, but not negative, sensation run through his body and, at the same time, a sense that something else was happening. All of that, plus the strange feelings he had around the two Moonlanders, had his head in such a tangle that he barely managed to remember to thank the councilwoman for the medals that she put around his neck and the visor-covered duck's neck.

Meanwhile, Penumbra, while finishing her fourth fun-size bar as she muttered in a non-impressed manner, "That's it? A medal? In Tranquility, great heroes are given statues made of gold."

Lunaris didn't reprimand her or add on to what she said as he was too enraptured by the young Kree. Aaron stood with such firmness and grace, his bright blue eyes locked onto what lay before him as he nodded and smiled with both humility and sincerity. The Moon leader felt his heart pick up speed again but he felt no pain or fear. He felt an odd sense of envy as he saw the council members all shake hands with both auburn-haired young man and techno hero. He felt his hands involuntarily clench and unclench in his lap.

_What is happening to me? _Lunaris thought with confusion and little bit worry.

He suddenly forgot all about it when one of the councilmen, a male pig anthro, spoke into the mic, "And now we would like to let one of our dear heroes speak. C'mon up, Starcaster!"

The Moon General felt his second-in-command squeezer past him as they intently watched the humanoid stride up to the podium, tap the mic and begin, "Thank you, Duckburg. While I am grateful for the praise, I can honestly admit that I don't deserve it. I only did what was necessary to protect my home and the people I care about. Now heroes, like the officers, medics, and firefighters who were protecting, saving, and helping you are the ones who deserve more."

The whole crowd 'awed' with pure joy and contentment, some even tearing up. Lunaris felt his own heart melt with the honorable behavior. At the same time, his heart ached with concern and pity at the self-effacing words. He didn't consider himself worthy of praise? Even after he helped save not one world but two? What was going on?

At the same time, Penumbra felt herself also startled by the auburn-haired young man's deprecation of his own heroics. Being a proud protector of Tranquility and the whole Moon in general, she accepted the praise that came with her work with modesty but she never refused it. She supposed that, as much as she hated to admit it, she did get a bit prideful and envious when they discovered the effectiveness of Della's "Earth ways." This, on the other hand, was different. To hear how Aaron was basically insisting that he was not worthy of even the smallest of praise or rewards was not only shocking but worrisome. Was something wrong?

They listened further as he continued, "I learned long ago that the measure of a hero is not that of his task, but how willing he is to do it and the significance of his reason for doing it. For me, that was for my family, namely my mother, older brother, and little sister. It was also for my friends, allies, and just for all those who I know are innocent and deserve to live. Speaking of friends and allies, the work of saving Duckburg is also thanks to the efforts of the Duck family and those associated with them, Storkules, and Chispero, who many of you saw the day before."

In the van, both lunar protectors were surprised as the Moon warrioress murmured, "He has a family?"

Suddenly, everyone stopped when a woman let out a piercing scream of surprise and panic.

All eye turned to see a vehicle a Jeep Cherokee of some sort, leap onto the grass and begin to head full force to the audience. Everyone who was quick enough scrambled away, either running as far as they could or taking refuge behind and in the trees and cars. Aaron was quick to grab the little canine boy and his parents before pulling them onto the stage, Fenton doing the same for the group of young teens, just as the car rammed into the stage.

Thankfully, the stage was sturdy and didn't give but it did crack and shake due to the force of the hit, causing both heroes to hold on tight to the people they saved and the people who remained on stage. Then, just as quick as it had come, the vehicle revved, backing up before it sped away in another direction. Both suited individuals looked up to see several police cruisers arrive, some coming in so fast they slightly smacked into other cruisers. The familiar face of their mother appeared out of the last cruiser, her eyes wide with urgency and worry as she got out to check her fellow officers and the citizens.

"I'm going after the vehicle," the auburn-haired young man said with a determined firmness that left no room for argument. "Stay here and help Mom check on the people."

The young intern could only nod as he said, "Be safe."

Giving his brother a reassuring smile, the humanoid took a running start before taking off in the air and after the offending vehicle, unaware that the agent in the van was taking off after him.

"What just happened it?" Penumbra demanded in utter disbelief at the scenario that played out before them.

"I'm not sure," Lunaris replied to the Moon Lieutenant as he adjusted the tight . "But I think we're about to see how Aaron handles an Earth crisis."

* * *

Aaron was angry. Actually, angry wasn't the right word to describe it. He was _furious_.

He had seen car chases on TV all the time growing up and knew how, no matter how they tried to avoid it, both the pursued and the pursuers would graze or hit some cars. But whoever was behind the wheel did not seem to care. Cars swerved as the Jeep drove forward with no regard, almost causing a pile up two or three times. Whenever they ran a red light, the young Kree swore his heart would burst from his chest as he barely managed to whisk the cross-walkers out of the way in time. In fact, his heart felt like it was pounding faster and harder than usual, even more so than his normal accelerated heart rate during a crisis.

When he saw that the Jeep was pulling onto a nearly empty road with nothing but trees on either side, the humanoid thanked anyone out there who sensed his need for help as he pushed forward, passing the vehicle. The tinted windows prevented him from seeing the driver and any other possible occupants but that was about to change. He landed a mile ahead, preparing his stance and readying a fist as he glared at the approaching Jeep.

When it was close enough, he brought his fist down on the hood of the vehicle, causing it to stand on the damaged front grill. After watching it stand with a bit of teeter for a moment, Aaron calmly blew a at the Jeep, the small push from that little, man-made breeze causing it to land back on its wheels with a hard _thud. _It was alsofollowed by the creaking of metal, cracking of broken or breaking glass, and the sound of more than one voices gasping and whispering in fear.

"Road's closed, creeps," the young Kree snarled. "Out of the car."

Almost as soon as he said that, a group of a canine anthros who looked older than him but younger than Donald stepped out of the Jeep. There were three, all male, each of them having a different shade of fur/skin and hair, all of which looked unkempt and slightly wrinkled but not dirty. Their clothes looked the same but the auburn-haired young man had learned that someone could look normal and be a total scumbag. Their narrowed eyes were slightly shaken but still full of some dangerous intent

"I would give you guys a chance to surrender but I have a feeling that you won't take it," Aaron stated coldly. "So, I'm not gonna give you that. Especially considering all the trouble you caused. You must really have nothing to lose if you were willing to hurt people or cause damage to public property."

Barely five seconds later, each of them pulled out a weapon; wrench, a chain, and a pair of pliers.

"I rest my case," the humanoid mumbled blandly with a roll of his eyes as he readied himself.

A full minute passed by when one of the them, a male who looked to be twenty-something with dark copper brown hair and a wrinkled black V-neck with the wrench, let out a yell and ran forward with his weapon raised high. To this, Aaron merely grabbed the other's arm before he even had the chance to bring it down and flipped hard onto his back where his heard connected hard with the ground just as the one with chain came at him swinging with intent vicious intent.

With ease, Aaron grabbed the chain before it could strike him and used a sizable amount of his strength to yank the chain and its owner towards him, which was helped by the fact that the white beater-wearing male with long black hair had the rest of the chain wrapped around his arm. Rearing his head, Aaron delivered a hard headbutt, eliciting a grunt of pain from the other before shaving him into the vehicle where his lower back was given harsh treatment before he crumpled to the ground, hissing in pain. The one with a faded navy longs-sleeve and cap with red hair dyed with some yellow rushed at him with pliers waving. The young Kree only silently stepped away while holding out a firm arm, causing the pliers-wielding delinquent to catch himself on the said arm and fall down where he knocked his head against his downed companions.

"Had enough?" Aaron inquired.

All the three did was groan in unison.

"Alright then," the young Kree nodded in satisfaction.

He heard a slight noise, turning his head-

_WHOMP! _

Pain blossomed at the side of his head and mouth as a hubcap struck him hard just as his head was half-way turned. Rubbing his head and his face, he felt something wet drip from his lip. His suspicions were proven correct as he pulled his hand back to see midnight blue blood staining his fingertips. Slowly, he turned to see the one who threw it.

A fourth passenger, who he had failed to see due to the tinted windows, stood behind the already opened backseat door which was why the humanoid had not heard him coming until the last minute. This one looked the most well-dressed but still casual of the other three with stylish, dirty blonde hair that went a bit past his neck, tannish peach skin, a denim jacket over a tight white shirt, blue-gray eyes, jeans, and newish shoes. He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties as well. Whatever remained of his triumphant smile faded as he realized what he had done.

His fear was proven correct when Aaron clenched his fists and began stalking towards him menacingly.

"I-I-I-," the dirty blonde struggled to speak but only stuttered as he was cut off.

"You know, I was having a pretty nice morning," Aaron began calmly. "I woke up to start the day with my family, met new friends, and was about to leave right after ceremony to go spend time with said family and new friends…Then YOU four came along. But you didn't just wreck my morning, you ruined EVERYONE'S morning."

The fourth member only gulped as he backed up from the approaching auburn-haired young man, wincing as Aaron slammed the car door so hard, the whole window shattered.

"It isn't enough that you and your "macho" friends decided to take a little spin around town. You cowards nearly killed several people!" the young Kree vented hatefully. "You must feel so big and bad, scaring and hurting others while ruining people's property for your own amusement. You think it's funny to try to use innocent people as walking targets? You could have killed someone! And for what? For fun? Maybe it's about time someone gave you a taste of that."

The guy was now shaking violently, looking ready to scream, faint, or wet himself. Or perhaps all three.

Taking a slow breath, Aaron proceeded to ask, "What do you love? And don't say your family because we both know if you and your pals actually cared about anyone, you would have avoided busy streets full of good people just minding their own business."

The dirty blonde said nothing but the humanoid saw his eyes dart at the Jeep.

"That Jeep yours?" the auburn-haired young man asked in a demanding tone.

"Y-Y-Yes," the cowering culprit whimpered.

For a moment, Aaron seemed to relax before suddenly punching the car, causing it to flip once but creating an ample amount of damage.

This caused the dirty blonde's jaw to fall open as he fell to his knees.

"Not so nice, is it?" the young Kree hissed before he heard familiar sirens. "Have fun deciding whether to use your one phone call for a lawyer or a mechanic."

As he turned around, to make sure the other three weren't trying to escape, he felt his heart stop when he saw who was there. Standing behind him, a couple of meters behind him, just a few feet from the van, were Lunaris and Penumbra. Both Moon guardians were staring at him in complete amazement. However, in Aaron's mind, that amazement translated into shock and fear. Of _him_. It suddenly registered in his mind what he had done. He had destroyed someone's property and beaten the crud out of Terran. People he said he protected. What if…what if they thought he was dangerous to _their people_.

The young Kree felt strangely sick, like the world was spinning. Then, without thinking, he took off into the sky, just as the two lunar warriors took a step towards him, and flew away.

* * *

Aaron didn't know what to do until he saw McDuck Manor. Had he subconsciously flying towards it or was it just a coincidence at the hands of his aimless flight pattern? He thought about continuing to fly away but the thought of seeing the kids, especially Webby, and the three adult ducks, four if Launchpad was there. Upon landing in the spacious backyard, he was somewhat surprised to see a giant golden statue that looked like an ape dressed in ancient, pre-colonial South American armor of Aztecs, Mayans, and Incans.

He saw the Duck family, minus Launchpad, happily talking and laughing. It didn't take long for any them of to notice him. As expected, all four quickly parted from the group and ran towards him, jumping him. The humanoid couldn't help the relief and laughter that washed over, causing him to fall backwards onto the ground as the kids climbed all over him, making him laugh. It wasn't long before the adults of the mansion strode up to them and smiled at the antics as well, the ducklings shouting over each other about what had gone on that morning.

"Thanks for bringing our Mom, back home," Dewey said as he hugged the auburn-haired young man's arm. "If it wasn't for you losing that disk, we would have never gotten her back."

"Well, thanks but your Mom is a pretty clever and relentless woman," Aaron replied with a smile. "I think she would have gotten back to Earth, regardless."

Della blushed a bit, smiling, before asking, "So, how did it go with Penny and Lunaris?"

"Is that where you were all morning?" Webby asked excitedly to which her brother nodded before she continued. "Cool! Did you like them? Did you engage in some sort of greeting ritual? A special fight? A secret handshake?"

"Did they unveil to you the secret of the universe? Or, well, this universe?" Huey inquired.

"Are you gonna become their new king? If so, can I be your royal advisor?" Louie asked hopefully.

"Well-," Aaron began but was cut off for the third time today.

"He did just fine."

All eyes fell on the female goshawk who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, giving them a relaxed smile.

"Seriously, how does she always know where to pop up?" the red-clothed triplet asked.

"He did just fine with them," Flurry repeated as she showed them her phone, revealing a clip of the conversation.

"You recorded us?" the young Kree gasped in disbelief.

"Was saving them for a different occasion but your mother wouldn't let up about how worried she was that they were gonna pull a fast one," the formidable agent explained with a shrug.

"Aaron, I mean this in a nice way, your mom is scarier than a Wendigo," the Duck matriarch stated.

"That's what makes her a great mother and cop," the auburn-haired young man shrugged with a grin, causing the mother of triplets to laugh.

"That was a smart move you did letting them have some chocolate," the female goshawk stated approvingly.

"You have Penny chocolate?! I gotta see her reaction," Della squealed in amazement.

"Hey, how did you get that cut?" the blue-clothed triplet asked as he noticed the practically already healed cut on his lip.

"I had a bit of a run in with some speeders," the humanoid said carefully.

"I'll say you did," Flurry stated as she changed the screen to play the road showdown that occurred barely an hour ago.

Aaron looked down in shame, "I was just so fed up! They almost hit several innocent people and then that one guy hit me…I guess I just lost it."

Della stared in shock at the video as she said with sympathy in her voice, "Well, no wonder you got mad! If someone hit me or my family with a hubcap, I would have given them worse."

"Aye, lad. You risked your life yesterday to save us and then these spiteful speeders cause trouble? Something would be wrong if you didn't lose your temper," Scrooge jumped in.

"Everyone is allowed a few rage-driven, sporadic acts," Beakley added in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I know," the young Kree nodded as he pressed his lips together. "But Lunaris and Penumbra saw what I did. What if they're afraid that I might do the same to their own? What if they _hate _me, now?"

"Why? Because you beat up some Jeep jerks? You should have seen how excited they and the rest of the Moonlanders got when they saw your fighting on the Moon yesterday," the aircraft-loving anthro said.

"Did you stop and see if they were really scared by what you did?" the green-clothed triplet asked curiously.

"Not really," Aaron said with a guilty wince. "I guess I was ashamed."

The bubble-gum clothed duckling smiled as she hugged the young Kree tighter, "You should never feel ashamed of doing what's right. Or worry about how it makes people think of you."

"Lad, you still have a lot of areas that you need to strengthen your confidence in," the Scottish drake said with a sigh but also a gentle smile. "But that's why we're here."

Aaron smiled before the determined female duck spoke, "So what else, can your suit do?"

"Well, it can do a lot of things," the humanoid replied. "Act as suit for any given situation like a space suit as you saw, fly, and it comes with some tools and compartments."

"And it changes color. Like so," the youngest of the triplets said as he reached to the auburn-haired young man's right arm, activating the color-changing grid.

Before he could touch it, the female duckling said, "Nutmeg!"

Indeed, the female Flerken, appeared and trotted straight forward them before jumping onto her owner, letting out a greeting mewl. No sooner had she done it did the two visitors from the Moon appear as well, eyes locking onto the young Kree. Getting up, Aaron still had all the kids hanging onto him as he also held his furry companion as the two came to stand in front of him. As the ducklings began to get off the humanoid, Dewey accidentally grazed the open grid, causing the suit to change.

Everyone gasped and Aaron felt his face grow hot as it took on a shade darker than the sky while his suit changed to mimic the colors of the Moonlanders' uniforms, the areas that were once silver turning a metallic gold while the other colors were a carbon copy of the two soldiers'.

"Alright, let's allow them some privacy to talk," the British duck said firmly as she, her employer, and former colleague began leading the four ducklings and newly return duck inside, wanting to create as less distress as possible.

"Your suit can do that?" Della called out as she was led away.

"Yes, it can," Aaron said, just as the three were once again alone with only Nutmeg as a silent audience, before quickly saying to the two lunar protectors. "I'm sorry! I don't mean to disrespect you two by taking on these colors without your permission. I'll just-"

"No!" both shouted in unison, grabbing his arm.

"Keep them on," Lunaris said, almost pleadingly. "These colors look fitting on you."

"More than fitting," Penumbra added. "Especially after the way you handled those criminal Earthers."

"Yeah, I usually use that much force when I deal with people like them," the auburn-haired young man admitted embarrassedly. "I guess him hitting me with the hubcap set me off, especially after what happened yesterday."

"I'll bet!" the lilac-colored soldier snapped in disgust. "You saved countless lives and those worthless wastes of space attack you for standing up for their unlawful behavior? You should have ripped their arms off."

"The punishment should fit the crime," the humanoid said logically. "If he had hit a parent and their child with his car or gotten out and physically attack an elderly couple with a weapon, chances are I would have. Especially if they were people I knew."

He was torn away from Penumbra's focused wisteria eyes by a hand that wasn't hers and brought to stare into Lunaris's warm and curious teal eyes. The blush quickly bloomed further as he felt the taller male stroke the cut on his lip.

"He hit you hard and yet you have only this small wound," the mint-colored soldier murmured with intrigue and relief.

"My people are durable to say the least," Aaron explained modestly.

"Yeah, we saw," the Moon Lieutenant nodded. "And you have blue blood?"

"Yes, I do. Why, what color is yours?" the young Kree asked before quickly backtracking. "That was out of line of me to say that, wasn't it?"

"Not at all," the Moon General reassured. "Ours is gold-colored. The only other color of blood we've seen was Della's red kind when she accidentally cut herself while we helped her mine for gold to fix her ship."

"The Terran of my universe's Earth have red blood as well," the humanoid added. "Don't know why I told you that."

"Why did you flee from us?" the Moon warrioress inquired, sounding a little hurt and concern, surprising herself and the Moon leader.

"I guess I was ashamed that you saw me fly off the handle like that. And I was also afraid that I would lose your respect and trust because I allowed myself to act recklessly and aggressively," Aaron admitted, looking away in shame.

"You're a hero to us and our people. The fact that you would lose your temper upon seeing injustice just proves what we already know," Lunaris said softly, smiling upon seeing the young Kree turned around and stare at him before smiling softly.

A moment later, the middle brother of the three stuck his head out and called out to the auburn-haired young man, "Aaron, your mom and Fenton are here!"

"Is Fenton your brother?" Penumbra probed.

"Yes, he is. I'll be right back," Aaron nodded before he turned to his grid hesitantly. "Someday, I hope I can feel deserving enough to wear your colors longer. But for now, I think you guys look more amazing than I do."

As he walked back to the front, the extraterrestrial cat trailing beside him, he failed to see the Moon leader's face take on a deep goldish hue.

"Now, that's a hero of the Moon. Wouldn't you say so, General?" the Moon warrioress asked but was confused at the lack of response as she turned to him. "Lunaris?"

Shaking himself out his stupor, Lunaris quickly cleared his throat before saying, "You took the words out of my mouth, Lieutenant."

"Alright, you two," Flurry said as she and Scrooge came out, walking towards them, and proceeded to usher them to the door. "It's time for you two to get acquainted with your temporary new home."

"We're staying here?" the Moon Lieutenant inquired. "But what about Moonshield and his family? Are they staying here too?"

"No, they have a house," the richest duck in Duckburg stated causally. "You'll get acquainted with them later tonight. We're going to meet them for dinner."

However, their words fell on deaf (unseen) ears as both Moonlanders turned the other way and bolted towards where Aaron had disappeared. Obviously, they decided that they would NOT wait for later to meet the family of the one who saved their home.

Rolling her eyes, the female goshawk and the world's greatest adventurer chased after the two while she muttered, "They don't pay me enough for this."

Upon catching up with the two guests of Earth and the manor, they saw that both had flabbergasted and perplexed looks on their faces. They followed the said gazes and saw the young Kree hugging and nuzzling Fenton, who had his Gizmoduck helmet off, and Gloria. They stood quite awhile away so neither the young intern or policewoman seemed to take notice of the four observers. Even Nutmeg was too busy rubbing herself against the trio's legs to care about the other four.

"Why is Moonshield with those Earthers?" Penumbra asked in complete confusion.

"Are they close acquaintances?" Lunaris added on.

"That's his family right there," the formidable agent said seriously.

"No, seriously, who are they? Stop joking," the lilac-soldier replied, irritation slowly making itself apparent in her voice.

"Those Earthers ARE his family," Scrooge stated sincerely. "His adoptive family anyway. We'll discuss it later."

"Lieutenant, I believe they are being serious," the mint-colored soldier breathed in utter astonishment.

That certainly stunned Tranquility's second-in-command, allowing the two anthros to escort them back into the mansion. All the while, both lunar protectors watched the family of three until they went inside the manor.

* * *

Here is Chapter 2! Sorry it took so long. Yes, I am for the theory that Gyro built the Spear of Selene and feels responsible that Della was lost. Also, I don't believe that the Moonlanders purposely ignored her presence for a decade. I actually think they just barely became aware as the Moon-mite situation reached a critical level and they found her during one of their searches. And who wouldn't love chocolate. Again, AU and OOCness was one of the warnings. Also, in "The Golden Spear", Lunaris's wound looked like it had two golden spots that's shapes resembled blood, so I think their blood is golden. That's just a theory. Also, I heard Kree were very strong so, yeah Aaron's pretty strong. Anyway, Happy Readings!


	3. Chapter 3: Dinner and Difficulties

Chapter 3: Dinner Conversations and Difficulties

"Where is Val and the kids?" Aaron wondered out loud as he looked around the mostly full area.

The restaurant they were at, _Norte y Sur Sabor_ or _North and South Flavor_, was a newish eatery that opened while ago. The walls were a bright candy apple red with décor that seemed both coastal and western. The place itself was known for serving Cal-Mex and Tex-Mex cuisine along with a few authentic dishes as well. The family of three was currently waiting for their close relative to arrive.

"They should be here any minute. Valentina says they have a surprise for us," Gloria reassured.

Fenton nibbled on some chips and salsa when he murmured in annoyance upon seeing something past his younger brother, "Why do they keep glancing back over here?"

The "they" who the young intern was referring to were the two Moonlanders who were currently sitting at another table a few feet away with the residents of the manor, all of them having come in almost ten minutes ago. The adults, mostly Della and Scrooge, talked animatedly with the kids about their next adventure. The humanoid took notice that whenever Launchpad spoke directly to Della, the mother of triplets had this expression of annoyance. Obviously, she had yet to accept Launchpad's presence among her family and was far from forgiving him for "replacing" her as her uncle's primary pilot.

Although both Moon guardians were trying to be invested in the conversation, Lunaris more than Penumbra, their eyes always seemed to shift back to the auburn-haired young man and his family. While they managed small smiles and nods, both seem to quickly turn away when the Cabrera matriarch or her oldest caught them. The mint-colored male would busy himself with flipping through the menu but obviously not really looking at the items while the lilac-colored female was playing with the utensils. The policewoman seemed to tense up at the articulate and precise way the female Moon guardian messed with her fork and knife (granted it was a butter knife, but still), almost like she was planning a range of attacks.

"I still don't trust those two. Especially the shorter one," the older Latina duck said sternly. "She looks like someone who has a chip on her shoulder before she even meets someone."

The humanoid bit his lip, knowing how his mother's aggravation, bordering on contempt for the two newcomers, was not due to maternal overprotectiveness alone. Upon their arrival, the Moonlanders and Duck family had quickly come over to greet them. And while both Moon General and Moon Lieutenant were more than happy to once again see Aaron, their first greetings with his adoptive family were…dicey. Lunaris had greeted them with an extremely professional and distinguished voice, that both Gloria and Fenton took for being haughty, and a smile that seemed too tight in their opinion. However, the effort he made was more than what Penumbra had done, which was basically the opposite. They had barely stretched out their hands for her to shake to which she quickly shook them, barely touching them for a second, before turning her attention back to the young Kree.

Aaron, and the others by extension, had been startled and made uneasy by the automatic looks of offense and disapproval that crossed both anthros' faces. Suffice to say, Della and her family could not get the two seated at a table far from the Cabreras soon enough. Thankfully, things had quickly settled, albeit Beakley slightly reprimanding Tranquility's female protector in a hushed voice, the auburn-haired young man hearing words like "disregard" and "showing respect." The second-in-command of Tranquility's leadership looked like she wanted to snap back but instead decided to bite her tongue. For now.

"She's just a little unnerved about being away from her people," the young Kree soothed. "They both are. Being trained soldiers on a strange planet isn't easy. Heck, Mar-Vell was afraid during our first whole week of being on Earth M and she was a seasoned Kree expeditioner and field scientist."

"M'ma and I just don't want them to give you problems. I'll be lying if I said I'm not afraid they'll hurt you," the young Latino drake added gently. "Either physically or mentally."

"I'll be fine," Aaron said firmly as he grabbed both their hands and squeezed them while offering a gentle smile. "Trust me."

Both his mother and older brother smiled back before leaning in to nuzzle him as the young blooming scientist spoke, "We trust you."

Meanwhile, the two warriors of the Moon couldn't stop watching the family of three who sat a few tables away. They locked their eyes on the tender family moment, not unlike what they did while Della was reunited with her family the evening before. However, they couldn't help but feel defiant and riled up as they were constantly forced to turn away when either older Latina duck or young Latino drake caught them. It was like a game between new, non-serious (hopefully) enemies.

"Defeating the Gilded Man of El Dorado: Part II. Everyone back on Tranquility would love that!" Della laughed before looking at the lilac-colored soldier while nudging her elbow with her soldier playfully. "What do you think Penny?"

"Did you say something, Della?" Penumbra inquired, not acknowledging the playful question gaze still focused on the Cabreras.

The Moon Lieutenant found it more convenient, as much as she disliked it, to call the determined female duck, her family, and the rest of the Earthers she knew by name. It would just be too confusing, she logically understood, to consistently call them all "Earther." And she supposed there was no use in stopping Della from calling her "Penny."

However, instead of reiterating her question, the Duck matriarch asked in a sincerely worried voice, "Are you two okay? You seem off? You can't be nervous about trying Earth food. We know Aaron gave you guys a taste of chocolate."

"About the only good thing you have on this planet," Penumbra replied. "Well, one of two."

Hearing her say this while keeping her focus on the other table, or the humanoid to be more specific, sent a wave of something displeasing through her mind and heart. Something she hadn't felt since long before she took the Spear of Selene. Envy. But for what? Just because both Moon guardians had their attention on the one who saved their home and Duckburg? Even she was impressed and curious about the non-lunar extraterrestrial. She didn't so much as mind as the fact that Lunaris seemed to be entranced. But seeing Penny all focused on the auburn-haired young man made her stomach twist in a knot. But why?

The mint-colored soldier broke her train of thought as he asked, "How long has Aaron been on this planet, did you say?"

"The lad arrived here back in early March. He's been here for a little over two months," Scrooge said. "Saved innocent lives the first day. Including his adoptive mother's life and Webby's life."

"You should have seen him two weeks ago," Dewey said as pulled out his phone and showed them. "This was recorded. The day when he carved that star mark onto the Moon. Someone caught it with their drone. That's like a flying camera."

Upon the middle triplet hitting the play button, both Moon residents tore their gazes away from the young Kree and focused on the video. The blue-clothed duckling grinned as they watched with fascination with a hint of surprise and confusion.

"Who is that person with the cube-shaped head helping him fight the larger one?" the Moon General inquired with extreme curiosity.

"That's Chispero. Or Teri as Aaron calls him," Huey explained, now invested in the story as well. "He lets us call him either. And he's from another universe, just like Aaron. Well, not from a same universe as Aaron but a different one. Aaron may have supplied the power source for the disk, but Teri crafted it."

"That's amazing!" the aircraft loving anthro breathed before her brows furrowed. "Wait, how many other aliens are there right now?"

"Well, if you count Nutmeg, there's five," the red-clothed duckling stated as he looked at the Moonlanders. "I count you guys as two separate."

Their eyes merely turned back to the video just as it showed Aaron being sucked into a portal, causing Penumbra to exclaim, "Wait! Where did he go?"

"One of Teri's suit's abilities is to create portals that allow you to jump from one place to the next," Webby jumped in. "Aaron told me that Teri was aiming for the Antarctic, that's one of the coldest places here on Earth, but the creature, Apexis they called him, messed up the gauntlet that creates the portals. That's how he arrived on the Moon that day."

They continued to watch as the Plug-Head fought the Pyramid-Head alone for a few minutes before Dewey proceeded to fast forward the video, forty-five minutes in, where a tired Chispero created another portal which Aaron reappeared through half a minute later. From there, their jaws dropped as the two used the young male robot's crossbow to shoot the young Kree's spear, successfully decapitating the beast.

"I can't believe that happened while I was on the Moon," Della breathed. "Heck, I can't believe he was on the Moon weeks before yesterday. Oh man, we must have missed each other."

"I know, isn't that crazy?" Launchpad began, having been listening to the conversation. "If Teri hadn't gotten the chance to shoot that second portal, Aaron would have remained on the Moon and met you guys and your city sooner. Or Aaron could have landed on the Moon instead of Earth when he came to our world, met you, befriended you, helped you with whatever crisis you had, grown to love you and yours like family, shared his tech, secrets, and advice with you. He might have even thought of-!"

Faster than anyone could blink, Dewey jumped up, grabbing a handful of chips, before stuffing them into his friends' mouth while grinning sheepishly at the two Moonlanders, "Typical Launchpad train-of-thought banter. Hahaha!"

However, the affect had taken hold as both soldiers had shocked and slightly plaintive expressions on their faces.

"Dude, really?!" Louie huffed with a roll of his eyes.

Looking to change the subject, Beakley spoke, "I hear Teri will be helping fix the ship. He's quite intelligent as he is skilled in fighting."

"So, I'm guessing his space mode is still broken?" the green-clothed duckling inquired.

"Yeah, Apexis must have really messed it up," the bubble-gum clothed murmured. "Otherwise he would have been asked to send them home."

Lunaris blinked when he heard a slew of feminine giggling. Turning around he saw a sizable group of female Earthers, ranging from birds like the Duck family to canines, sows, and even a few lizards, eyeing Aaron with tempted, giddy smiles. They appeared to be whispering and giggling about something behind their hands and into one another's ears while pointing at the humanoid, though not in a hostile or cruel way. Strawberry-colored blushes adorned their faces. He had seen identical expressions and behavior in female Moonlanders growing up, either directed at him or other male Moonlanders like Obscurin and Nebulos. He had an idea of what they were saying and why they blushing.

His second-in-command must have seen what he was seeing because she immediately asked, "So, the Earthers really like him?"

"Aaron's a hero! And he's nice! Of course people like him! And they respect him!" the youngest of the triplets said. "He's like a brother to everyone. Especially Webby. He's taken the role of her big brother."

At that, the female duckling smiled proudly and nodded, "It's true."

"What about his biological family?" the Moon General spoke and instantly regretted upon seeing the pain cross everyone's faces, excluding the Moon Lieutenant's, Della's, and him own.

"Oh no," the aircraft loving anthro murmured, hand coming to cover her beak. "Are they-?"

"Parents have been dead since he was a wee tot. Told us himself." the richest duck in Duckburg confirmed in a grave tone. "Godmother passed away around the time when he began hitting adulthood."

"Godmother?" Penumbra echoed in confusion, eyes filled with disbelief and slight pity for the auburn-haired young man.

"A close female friend of the parents who is chosen to be an acting guardian in the absence of the biological parent," the British duck explained. "Godfather if they're male."

"What about other Kree?" the male Moon guardian inquired, feeling sympathy and distress bubble in his stomach.

"Aaron's godmother, Mar-Vell, had to go to the Earth in their universe to create a device that would end their people's war. As the story goes, she didn't want to leave him with any other Kree so she took him with her and raised him on the Earth of his universe," the undauntable housekeeper continued. "She died, but not before putting him in a cryo-stasis."

"That's when you're basically put in a big chamber where you are put into a long sleep and don't age," the middle brother stated.

"How long was he in it for?" the mother of triplets asked, though she was dreading the answer.

The eldest duck began to speak, "Aaron and Mar-Vell, according to him, arrived at Earth M, that's what we call his Earth, when he was still a young bairn-"

"Bairn?" the Moon leader repeated in question.

"It means child," the retired agent explained.

"Ah," the Moon General nodded.

"During the late 1970s to late 1980s," the world's greatest adventurer went on. "He was frozen in 1989 before his nineteenth birthday."

"Do they have birthdays in Tranquility?" the female duckling asked, both out of curiosity and the uneasy feeling of discussing her brother being frozen in time.

"It depends. What is a birthday?" the Moon warrioress probed.

"It's when you celebrate the day you were born and how much you grow with each year along with the accomplishments and joy you bring to your friends and family," the red-clothed brother explained. "Basically, it's your big day to get what you want and do what you please. Don't Moonlanders have some sort of lunar equivalent?"

"We have Coming of Age Ceremonies," Lunaris replied. "We celebrate the coming of adulthood of all young Moonlanders and what position they will take in our society. Each generation is conceived and born around a certain interval of time, ascending together as a community."

"When does it happen?" Louie asked.

"It happens when the last of the previous generation passes on or all of the new generation is fully grown," the lilac-soldier stated bluntly. "Sometime a couple doesn't produce on the first try and they have to wait for the new generation to be fully grown to have another try. Each generation is given three to five cycles to try but then stop when the period ends, regardless if they have a baby or not."

"Sounds like population control," Webby said. "It's not surprising since the Moon has only so many resources and you don't want your people being spotted by someone on Earth. So, of course you have to keep the number of Moonlanders down to a specific number."

"So that's why I didn't see any itty bitty Moon kids," the determined female duck said. "I was worried that you guys had an infertility epidemic."

"It sounds awfully health risky," the retired agent murmured. "Trying for a child when you reach a certain age, at least for us, is considered not only complicated but also harmful to the woman's health."

"Moonlanders have long lifespans," Penumbra replied proudly.

"Do you give birth to eggs? How long do Moonlanders carry their young? Which parent is the primary caretaker? And does parenting come as a natural instinct when you have kids?" the red-clothed brother asked.

"Easy there, Huey," the world's greatest adventurer reprimanded gently. "Some of those questions might upset our new friends."

Before either Moon guardian had a chance to respond, the buff drake, who had been doing math on his phone, dropped it as he let out a dramatic gasp before shouting, "AARON IS-!"

Beakley was quick to slap a hand over the pilot/driver's mouth as she hushed him in a stern but calm tone, "Launchpad, volume."

The simple duck nodded before whispering low enough for everyone at the table to hear, "He's basically fifty."

"Technically he's forty-nine. Biologically he's eighteen or nineteen," the bubblegum-clothed duckling piped up. "But he didn't get to celebrate his nineteenth birthday, which was suppose to be on August 25, 1989. So, we're gonna celebrate it this coming August! But don't tell him, it's a surprise."

"Wait! So what you're saying is that he hasn't seen another one of his own kind in about thirty years?" Della whispered with horror and sadness.

She felt disgusted with herself for having felt any foul feelings of jealousy. For all the grievances she had on the Moon, she saw that Aaron had it so much harder. The mother of triplets couldn't have imagined being kept in cryo-stasis for three decades. Not only that, but he had been locked away in a small chamber, stuck in a Purgatory-like state of mind. While she had seemingly alone, she had space and could move about. She could be as loud and energetic as she wished while she dreamt and raved about going back to her family. Aaron never had that and she felt pity curl around her heart like a vine.

_Despite all he went through, he adores this world and protects the people he cares about, including MY family, _Della thought with a bittersweet gratitude.

"Pretty much," the youngest of the brother murmured, shifting uncomfortably as he felt the changing of the mood, his brothers and the retired agent's granddaughter feeling it as well based on their concerned expressions.

Lunaris and Penumbra looked as though they had seen one of their own be beaten and tortured as they turned their heads to stare at Aaron who was too invested in ordering a drink from a waitress (who was being _very _"friendly" in their view). They thought back to when they found Della some time ago, going up against the Moon-mite mother who was threatening to take away the damaged vessel that had led to her being separated from her children for over a decade. But Aaron had not seen another one of his species for so much longer. Thinking of how both made such a fuss about being on Earth sent shudders of pain and shame through their bodies. At least their people were basically right above them. Aaron was the only one of his kind in this world, possibly destined to never see his birth planet or race again.

Suddenly, almost as if they shared a mind link, they looked at each other as thoughts ran through their minds. They were non-Earthers. Aaron was a non-Earther. Aaron was a warrior. They were warriors. Granted he was obviously stronger than the norm but they saw nothing wrong with that. All three cared for the life on the Moon. Perhaps maybe, just maybe…

Screams and laughs of surprise and joy caused everyone to look at the table where the Cabreras were at. The three were hugging another duck couple who appeared to have three very young children with them, younger than the four ducklings at the table.

"Hey! It's Valentina! Fenton's cousin!" Launchpad stated loudly and happily. "A cousin is-!"

"They/We know what a cousin is!"

Both Duck matriarch and Moon Lieutenant stared at each other, surprised by their unified reply and the amount of annoyance and reassurance that went into it. But whereas the aircraft loving duck smiled wide with gleaming eyes, the female Moon guardian focused her attention back on the family of three and the newcomers.

"Who's that?" the blue-clothed brother asked, gesturing to the new drake with dark chocolate colored feathers wearing what looked to be a jade-green shirt and cargo pants.

As if to answer their question, they heard the policewoman speak as she hugged the new drake, "It's so lovely to see you again, Quinn."

"It's good to be back home with you guys too. And it's great to see my love and babies again," Quinn cooed in his slight Irish accent, voice rich with bliss.

The moment Valentina had finished hugging both her cousins, handing her children to them and her aunt so the three little ones could also get hugs from the rest of the family, he pulled her close and then dipped her before kissing her. Everyone who saw it, including the residents of McDuck Manor, smiled at the romantic scene. The only ones who complained were the little ones who still thought of romance as "yucky grown-up mush." The whole scene reminded both Lunaris and Penumbra of the union of some of the Moonlander couples in Tranquility, past and present. Even the late General Meridian had not been hesitant about showing great love and affection for his wife, Lunaris's late mother.

Then, as quickly as the kiss had started, it ended as Quinn and Val sat down before turning to Aaron, the former saying, "Welcome to the family, Aaron. Gotta say, it's finally nice to see you in person."

"Likewise," the auburn-haired young man grinned, chuckling as he felt Manolo touch his hair.

"Daddy look!" the oldest and only son grinned. "He got his hair colored!"

"I see that! Got it from fighting in space?" the military drake inquired to which the humanoid nodded. "Those are marks of a survivor, my friend. Wear them with pride!"

As he said this, he playfully punched Aaron in the arm, causing two audible gasps to emit from a few feet away along with the abrupt sound of a chair being knocked over. All eyes fell on the two Moonlanders who were currently standing straight up and tense, the chair belonging to the Moon warrioress having been knocked over. They had appalled and scandalized looks plastered on their faces, ignoring the group of ducks and ducklings telling them to sit down, the buff drake picking up the fallen chair. Neither Moon leader or his right-hand warrior seemed to hear as they focused their gazes on the father of three, eyes full of anger.

"Stay here," the young Kree told the startled group gently before proceeding to make his way over to the group where he asked the two distressed lunar protectors. "What's wrong?"

"Are you alright? We saw that Earther punch you," the mint-colored soldier said reaching to touch Aaron's "offended" arm.

"What is _wrong _with him!" the lilac-colored soldier growled lowly, hands curling into fists.

"I'm fine! Quinn was just playing! On Earth, sometimes people playfully act aggressive. He wasn't really trying to hurt me," the auburn-haired young man soothed. "And he didn't really punch. It was just sort of a tap with his fist."

"That's what we kept trying to tell these two," the richest duck in Duckburg vented in exasperation as he said sharply to the two lunar visitors. "Now sit down! The both of you! You're causing a scene."

The moment the eldest duck said that, both Moonlanders saw that, indeed, several people were looking at them with confusion, curiosity, and slight apprehension. Deep gold blushes bloomed on them as they proceeded to sit down.

"I'll come back to check on you guys," the humanoid soothed before heading back to his table, trying to force away a blush as he noticed how their golden blushes looked, dare he say it, adorable on them.

"Seriously, guys relax," the determined female duck said as a waiter came to take their orders.

However, try as they might, at least in the Moon leader's case, they could not keep themselves from looking towards Aaron and the rest of his adoptive family. Despite all their experiences and training, it was astonishing to see someone like Aaron who was quick, powerful, and fierce one moment and reassuring, gentle, and compassionate the next. They watched as the youngest of the three at the Cabrera table started fussing to which Aaron quickly soothed by rocking her for a bit before handing her to her father, allowing the loving but hard-working mother a break. Once again, Lunaris felt his fingers, at least the ones not holding the fork, twitching as his hand clenched and unclenched.

He knew it had nothing to do with the food or anything, but rather something else altogether. It had to do with this need, more like want actually, to be near Aaron. To eat with him, talk with him, and laugh with him, all of which the young Kree was currently doing with his Earther family. Once again, however, he turned back to his food when the young blooming scientist a shot him suspicious and annoyed look from time to time, letting Lunaris know how he was not pleased with his observation of Aaron.

But while he turned his head away, in hopes to appease the other, the Moon warrioress decided, this time, to return the glance with a sharp look of her own, done with letting an Earther, even one close to the auburn-haired young man, intimidate her. In fact, Penumbra felt as if she, as well as Lunaris, were the ones who deserved to be angry and protective. Growing up in Tranquility, she had believed the warnings that her fellow warrior's father had preached. Just because none of them were a threat, as far as she could tell, doesn't mean she was about to start treating them with anything else except tolerance.

Della herself felt mixed emotions as she took notice of her friends' focus on Aaron. They seemed to be very taken with him, something that she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous about. It made her feel a bit bad, considering how her boys idolized him and the great deed he did for both Earth and the Moon. For crying out loud, if it wasn't for him and those close to him, she would still be in Tranquility fixing her ship. She had nothing against being around the Moonlanders but seeing her kids laughing and eating while sitting next to her was something she wouldn't trade for all of the wealth and knowledge, both of which belonged to her beloved uncle. And as she recalled, she didn't care so much for Lunaris unwavering watch but Penumbra's lack of focus on anything else felt…wrong. Not just out of character but rather the mother of triplets wanted nothing more than for the Moon Lieutenant to show her the same attention.

She blinked in surprise as the female Moon guardian, without watching what she was doing, dipper her chip into salsa. But not the mild kind that the group had ordered as to help their new guests get better acquainted with Earth food.

"Penny, that's not-!" Della tried to protest but was too late as the lilac-soldier quickly devoured the chip and the _other _salsa that the boys had chosen.

Barely five seconds later, Penumbra's eyes widened as her tongue felt an unnatural heat creep up on it and she felt herself start to perspire as her cheeks turned from a soft gold to a dark, fiery, bronze-tinted gold like a flame or star. Soon, it felt like her whole tongue was being burned by a shot from their people's blasters. Sensing trouble, the Moon General turned to look and nearly jumped out of his seat for the second time that night when he saw the state of his fellow soldier.

"Here, here, here! Have some of my Pep!" the aircraft loving anthro said as she handed her friend her glass which the frantic Moonlander quickly took and gulped down.

"What was _that_?!" Penumbra gasped breathlessly. "It felt like my mouth was lit on fire."

"That was spicy salsa," Webby said. "I'm guessing you don't have spicy ingredients on the Moon?"

"Why would Earthers eat something that hurts their mouths?" the mint-colored soldier asked with a flabbergasted tone and look to match as he eyed the culprit salsa warily.

"Some people like the kick. And some can actually handle the heat," the bubblegum clothed duckling shrugged as she turned to gesture to a few tables where people were enjoying varieties of spicy dishes.

The male Moon guardian even saw how Aaron and his family were eating the same salsa, evident by the slight orange tinged red, without any problems. He felt his heart stutter as he saw that the auburn-haired young man had seen what was gone down and was getting up from the table, ready to come over and check on them, when he was surrounded by teen Earthers. The humanoid was startled as he was overcome with hyperactive people about his biological age.

"Dude! Can we get a picture with you?!" one of the males, a young canine with a rust-colored mop of hair, asked excitedly with a pleading look. "Please?"

Before Aaron even had a chance to reply, a middle aged female canine anthro with honey blonde hair, dressed in clothing that seemed casual but also slightly formal, stomped over and said sternly, "Michael, what have I told you about sneaking your friends in here and bothering the customers? You know you're still grounded for ruining Ms. Darling's garden and breaking her bird bath. And I know for a fact that your friends here are also in trouble for helping you perform that stunt and should not be here until their parents say their punishments are over."

"But-," one of the female avian anthros tried to speak up but were sharply stopped.

"No buts from any of you," the woman said sternly as she pointed at a lone table in the corner. "Now march your behinds back to that table and wait there until I call someone to take you all home."

They all let out groans of disappointment and upset as they trudged to the said table while the middle-aged woman turned back to the humanoid and his group, "I am so sorry for any interruptions or inconveniences that may have occurred. To compensate, I would to offer you and your family here some free dessert."

The moment those words left his mouth, the kids and adults, even little Maya, got excited. Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron saw that everyone at the other table, especially the two Moon guardians, had been watching the whole scenario and now had their eyes locked on him.

"That sounds great, thank you" Aaron said with a smile as he spoke. "And, if it's alright, can I ask a favor?"

* * *

"That was awesome that Aaron got us free dessert!" Della cheered as they all exited the restaurant. "I cannot get enough of that Mexican chocolate cheesecake and churros dipped in dark chocolate sauce!"

"I'm surprised how much of it Dewey ate considering the Fizzy Rock s incident from last night," Huey laughed as he recalled how many chocolate dipped churros and tres leches cupcakes his blue-clothed counterpart scarfed down, seeming to have forgotten the stomach ache he had earlier due to their mother's attempts to make up for the special moments she missed.

His blue-clothed counterpart responded by playfully shoving him and laughing before saying to Aaron, "But seriously, that was really neat what you did."

"It was nothing, really," the young Kree stated, sensing the gazes of the two lunar warriors beside him as they all began making their way to their respective vehicles.

In all honesty, Aaron couldn't shake the fact that he had an ulterior motive for asking that the Duck family and Moonlanders also be treated with free dessert, other than to make up for the awkwardness of the night, courtesy of both parties' behaviors. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn that it felt like he was trying to impress both Lunaris and Penumbra. But what on Earth for? They already made it clear they thought highly of him. So, why was he acting like some new kid desperately trying to make a good impression with the school's popular clique like in a cheesy, teen drama movie?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Valentina gasp, "Tia Gloria, what happened to your car?"

Everyone looked at the police cruiser and a chorus of gasps erupted from them all.

All four of the cruiser's tires were slashed, reduced to nothing but shreds of black rubber. The windows were cracked, one being shattered but thankfully, Gloria always had the hindsight to either keep her gun on her person or lock it away at home. The whole car appeared to have been scratched by something sharper than a key, a knife perhaps. And tucked into the windshield wipers was a small piece of paper.

The Cabrera matriarch proceeded to pull out rubber gloves (you never know what situations you may encounter while off duty) and put them on before carefully taking the note and opening it. By now everyone was surrounding the policewoman, their eyes widening in sync as they saw what was written on the paper in capital letters with a black marker.

_THE BRIGHTEST STAR ALWAYS BURNS OUT THE FASTEST. AS DO THOUGHS WHO BASK IN ITS LIGHT. _

* * *

"So, this is your Earther home?" Penumbra inquired to Aaron as she gazed around the interior of the Cabrera home with confusion and a sense of being underwhelmed.

"Mm-hmm," Aaron nodded as he watched the two look around. "I know it's different from McDuck Manor but it's home to me."

Lunaris had to agree with his fellow Moon guardian, as he looked about the small house which was a complete contrast to the giant mansion that was the Duck family's home. However, he knew that now would be an inappropriate time to judge or comment the income difference between the two families.

After they had read the note, everyone began to panic or get angry, the two Moonlanders falling in the latter category. Thankfully, in spite of their horror and disgust, Beakley, Scrooge, Gloria, and Quinn managed to calm everybody down and take control of the situation. Della and Valentina had taken the kids to their respective vehicles, Launchpad following the aircraft-loving duck while the father of three and his cousin-in-law followed his family. While the older Latina duck was getting in touch with her fellow officers and the retired agent and Scottish drake had called Flurry, both Moon soldiers stood by the young Kree protectively. During the wait for the other officers and S.H.U.S.H. agents to arrive, they had noticed the sudden change in their new companion.

Aaron had appeared as stiff and still as a tree but if anyone had observed him closer, as Lunaris and Penumbra had, they would have seen the barely contained alarm and fury in his eyes. They also saw the ever so slight way that his fists shook with barely restrained anger. For some reason, the Moon General was torn. He hated to see the one who bravely stood up for him and his people in such distress and on the verge of flying into what may be an uncontrollable rage that would put the tails of Della's brother's tantrums to shame.

At the same time, the idea of Aaron letting go and displaying a fierce and passionate display of attacks due to the threat made against him and his family…was exhilarating. With very few Moonlanders being trained as warriors, it was quite a surprise to see others, like Della and Aaron themselves, fight back against monstrous creatures so much larger than them. And while he and the Moon Lieutenant had been greatly impressed with the Duck matriarch's moves (though Penumbra refused to admit it), the strength and tactics of the humanoid were better honed. Seeing him fight off the Solenestrite Titan, willing to die to protect any and all life, and taking on criminal-minded Earthers like they were mere insects brought out great feelings of admiration in both Moonlanders for the auburn-haired young man. Granted there was some guilt, knowing that they were feeling this foreign sense of thrill while everyone was dealing with fear from the threat, but neither could help it. Especially not the Moon leader.

Trying to push the conflicted thoughts out of his head, Lunaris's gazed at the rest of the house's residents and guests. The three eldest Earthers were in the kitchen, the British duck and Scottish drake trying to calm down the still irate and paranoid Cabrera matriarch, where the younger adults had sat the triplets and Webby down on the couch in front of the television. Fenton had taken the liberty of seating himself between the buff drake and determined female duck to avoid any negative interactions. Valentina, Quinn, and their children had been escorted home some time ago, their car being chaperoned by police, S.H.U.S.H. agents, and army friends of Quinn's who lived close by. The rest of the cops and agents, along with Flurry, were probably still at the scene of the crime or already processing it.

Both lilac-colored soldier and mint-colored soldier turned to look at the young Kree who had his arms crossed and was leaning against the wall, mind in a haze as he thought about tonight. Not only was he going over how the day had ended so wrong, but he was also going over a list of suspects in his head. The most obvious ones were the Beagle Boys, Graves, and Black Heron. They knew of his association with both his adoptive mother and adoptive brother, which led to Gloria's temporary capture by their hands. However, he couldn't help but wonder about other possible suspects.

It wasn't too hard for him to suspect Glomgold of wanting to do anything to hurt him, the greedy drake viewing him as big a threat as he did Scrooge and the other residents of the manor. Or had it been Beaks? Had he stooped to threats to make Aaron his? It was possible. Or was it just one of the many petty crooks he helped put away throughout his time here on Earth M, wanting to intimidate him a bit? His stomach twisted at all the possibilities, making him feel like he would throw up the tamales and fajitas he consumed at dinner. His saving grace from the awful thoughts came in the form of mewling from Nutmeg as she pawed at his bedroom door, signaling she wanted to enter and go to sleep in her cat bed.

"Okay, I'll let you in so you can go to bed," he said as he opened his bedroom door, allowing his beloved furry companion inside, entering himself.

As he put one foot inside, he once again felt the presence of eyes on him, turning to see that his two new friends were eyeing his room the way curious but shy puppies eye a new toy, leading him to ask, "Would you guys like to see my room?"

He was shocked by his own question, the expression on his face matching theirs, and was about to apologize for his grade-school like inquiry when Penumbra spoke, "Yes, we would."

The young intern, having heard this, snapped his head to look at the two Moonlanders sternly and say, "Aaron, keep your door open."

"Got it," Aaron nodded as he allowed the two to enter his room before going in himself.

He watched as they began examining his room, thank the heavens he cleaned it up earlier that evening. Watching them poke and examine all his Terran belongings reminded him of his own first observations of Earth items and life. But while the female Moon guardian was very cautious with what she allowed herself to touch, her male counterpart was more adventurous as he looked more closely and went as far as to pick up his Rubik's Cube on his dresser.

"What's this?" Lunaris asked as he examined the colorful block.

"It's called a Rubik's Cube," the young Kree explained. "It's a type of Terran puzzle. The goal is to twist it so that all the little squares of the same color are together on one side each. Go ahead, try it."

Turning his attention back to the item in hand, Lunaris curiously gripped it with both hands and twisted it, shocking himself a bit by how easily it turned. Feeling encouraged, he began to twist and turn it here, there, and everywhere. However, as he continued, he discovered how the puzzle was far from easy, his curiosity slowly turning into confusion and annoyance. Just as he was certain he had managed to get one side a certain color, the other sides were a mess and attempting to correct it only ruined the side he had just succeeded on.

Aaron bit back a laugh as he saw the Moon leader's clearly aggravated face, looking at the cube like it was a rival who was making a fool of him, as he calmly asked with a friendly tone, "Would you like me to show you?"

Giving up, the mint-colored soldier surrendered the item to its owner who take it with a confident calmness. His eyes soon widened and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor as he watched as he meticulously began to twist and turn the cube, the colors gathering to their respective sides right in front of them. A minute later, the humanoid casually held the completed puzzle before the other.

"How did you do that?" the Moon General asked with complete awe.

"Practice. It helps when you have a brilliant aunt, lots of curiosity as a kid, a love for puzzles, and loads of free time," the auburn-haired young man said with a modest smile as he set back down before patting the taller male's shoulder. "You'll get it in time."

After his sentence, however, Aaron seemed to realize what he was doing and ripped his hand away, as if realizing he just illegally touched a valuable work of art. A blush of shame shooting over his cheeks while he averted his gaze and began to move over to where Penumbra was, trying to fight a small, sheepish smile tugging at his lips. Unknown to him, the Moon leader's face was also colored with a blush as he smiled after the young Kree with an unwavering gaze.

"What is this?" Penumbra inquired as she stared at the strange (at least to her) circular object that had a long string attached.

"That's a yo-yo," Aaron said as she handed it to him. "It's a Terran toy."

"Della spoke of these as well," the Moon warrioress mused as she stared at the object.

"Really? Huh, I thought she would have also told you guys what they looked like," the humanoid murmured with confusion.

"She did but I…got distracted," the lilac-colored soldier said hastily as she looked away, cheeks blushing but not as much as her male counterpart's.

She didn't want to go into detail of how she had blatantly been trying to avoid Della all during the determined female duck's stay in Tranquility or her aggravated disregard for the tales of Earth's qualities. Not only was she embarrassed to admit to her own jealous behavior and tell Aaron about her anti-Earth sentiments, but she was also afraid she would mention how the Earther had rubbed off on her…only a miniscule bit though!

"Well, you're seeing it now," the humanoid shrugged with a small smile. "Yo-yos can be more than toys too. They improve motor skills, hand-eye coordination, special awareness, precision, and focus."

"Show us," the Moon Lieutenant half-ordered, half-asked as Lunaris arrived at her side, nodding to confirm that he would also like to watch.

"Alright," the young Kree agreed as he proceeded to show her the different tricks, trying to forcefully keep his blush from returning as the two Moonlanders watched with focused eyes.

But Lunaris soon found his gaze moving from the unfamiliar but interesting yo-yo tricks to something on Aaron's desk. It appeared to be a book, not unlike the two Della had with her (he understood the rocket-plans book but the Junior Woodchucks was still something he had yet to grasp), but it appeared to be thicker, wider, and heavier looking. It had on the front, written in gold, cursive letters, the word _Memories_. Impulse seemed to be in control of his body because he picked up the book and prepared to open it-

"What do you have there?" the lilac-colored soldier inquired as she and the auburn-haired young man turned their attention to the mint-colored soldier, the yo-yo forgotten on the bed but was quickly snatched by Nutmeg who proceeded to play with it.

So startled, Lunaris couldn't stop himself from dropping the book which Aaron spotted, soft blue eyes widening, which caused the male Moon guardian to quickly say, voice full of embarrassment and sincerity, "Forgive me, please! I don't know what got into me. I just-!"

"No, no, no, no, it's alright! Really!" Aaron said as he quickly picked up the book. "It's my fault for leaving it out in the open."

"What's in there?" the female Moon guardian asked, eyes locked on the book.

"It's a photo album. It's where you keep pictures of places, things, people, and events," the young Kree said as he prepared to put the album away.

"May we see what's inside it, please?" Lunaris asked gently. "Of course, it's alright if you don't want to show us."

Aaron paused and thought for a moment before settling down on the edge of his bed, patting the covers, urging them to sit, as he said, "Alright, I don't see why not."

They quickly went to sit on either side of him as he opened the album and started flipping through the pages. They took notice of the photos that, not unlike Della's photo of herself, her brother, her uncle, and the unhatched triplets, depicted happy times. They ranged from photos with the Cabreras and the Duck family during happy events to those that depicted him with a strangely dressed, muscular Earther who Aaron introduced as Storkules. They wore quizzical looks when Aaron told them that Storkules was more than what he appeared.

Without warning, Penumbra reached to turn the pages backwards, curious to look again at the ones with Aaron and Teri together (though most of them appeared to depict them either surrounded by agents or Aaron holding a square with Teri's face on it), when they all froze. She had accidentally turned more than just a couple of pages and revealed several pictures that were not like any of them before as they depicted creatures similar to Aaron. Their gazes fell on one that featured what could only be three adult Kree and a small baby Kree.

Finding his voice, Lunaris spoke, "Aaron, are these-?"

"Yes, that's my biological family," the auburn-haired young man nodded in quiet voice as he pointed to each one in the photo. "My mother, Meer-Rah, my father, Vahn-Korr, my godmother, Mar-Vell, and me when I was a baby. Back on Kree, my name was pronounced Aer-Rohn."

The Moon warrioress continued to stare at the photo before asking, "Your father had blue skin?"

"Yes, more than a few Kree do have blue skin," the humanoid nodded casually.

"So do our people," the Moon leader murmured quickly before adding. "You do look like your mother and father."

"Thank you. I've been told that a lot, but that's very kind of you to say," Aaron smile before it faded as he added. "Actually, it's one of the very few things I have left to remember them by."

"What do you mean?" the Moon General asked, surprise and worry on his face.

"It's nothing, it's just…I never really knew what my parents were like," the young Kree said softly. "I don't remember much of them. I was too young to recall anything. And Mar-Vell never talked about them. Don't get me wrong, she was good woman. Very loving, smart, and strong. Taught me everything I knew. She was the one who gave me Nutmeg. And she never raised a hand to me. But she never talked much about my parents. Only mentioned a few snippets of what they were like or something they did and how I was like them, but never beyond that. No stories about their childhoods, no mentions of relatives, and so on."

"Why wouldn't she tell you about your parents?" the Moon Lieutenant inquired in confusion and concern.

"One of the first things she did was tell me how she and my mother were like sisters," Aaron explained. "That's how she became my godmother in the first place. When she did, I noticed how even mentioning my mom kind of saddened her even though she had good memories. I think, even after all that time, it pained her to talk about those memories because it reminded her that my mother was no longer around. She never said anything, but I had a feeling that she was always doubting how well she was doing in her role as a mother-figure."

"And your father?" the mint-colored soldier inquired.

The auburn-haired young man bit his lip, "When it came to my dad, things were different. It seemed like she had some respect for him but was struggling from adding criticism. I think she and my dad had a strained relationship, probably because they didn't like the idea of sharing my mom's attention, but they did so anyways because they loved her and they loved me."

"How did your parents…pass away?" the lilac-colored soldier asked, earning her a shocked and horrified look from her fellow Moonlander.

But before she could get scolded, the humanoid spoke softly, "Fighting a war. Mom was part of the Star Force, the warriors who fought in the name of the Kree Empire. Dad…Mar-Vell never told me what he did for a living or how he died but I guess he either died due to an attack or…he just lost the will to live without his mate."

Both Moon guardians looked at each other, pain for their new friend painted on their expressions. They recalled the passing of all their older neighbors, teachers, and acquaintances who were part of their parents' (who they also missed) generation. As painful and sorrowful as they were, the accepted it, knowing that many of them had done their job of raising their respective children to carry on their legacies. To hear how the very people responsible for the existence of the one who saved their planet had met their end too soon, and in an undoubtedly violent war, before being able to teach their child all they knew was more than tragic. And yet, Aaron had survived the painful loss and grew into the person he was. Despite fate's sadistic cruelty of choosing to wait until now the introduce them to him, neither of the Moon's protectors cared to complain now that they were having…well, whatever one could call this moment.

Lunaris's eyes drifted back to the page where they fell on a picture of a slightly younger Aaron and another new face, "Who is that female Kree? A friend of yours?"

"She is a friend but she's not a Kree. She's a Terran," Aaron said with nostalgic smile. "Her name was Kayla."

"You're joking," Penumbra accused but she saw the sincerity in his eyes and couldn't help but gape a bit.

"I wasn't kidding when I said the Terran of my universe looked like Kree, though none of them had blue skin or blood," the young Kree chuckled. "Kayla was my first and best Terran friend growing up."

As the auburn-haired young man caressed the picture, the Moon leader couldn't help but feel some sort of sting in the pit of his stomach, as if he swallowed a live Crater Stinger. Something about Aaron showing fondness for a figure of his past made the male Moon guardian's heart twist in a weird way.

"General Meridian would have been amazed by all of this," the female Moon guardian murmured out loud.

"Who is General Meridian? Is that your teacher or your fellow warrior?" Aaron probed curiously.

"General Meridian was my father," the Moon leader answered simply.

Catching the "was" part, the humanoid's eyes widened as he gasped, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean any disrespect or to bring up any topics that are painful for you to talk about."

"Considering what you just told us, I would say it's only fair you asked," the mint-colored soldier replied with a friendly, reassuring smile.

Relaxing, Aaron smiled back and asked, "What was he like?"

"He was strong and noble. He was great general and an even greater father," Lunaris murmured with a nostalgic smile of his own before it fell a bit. "But his fear of the Earth was so immense, that he hid our people away. While it did manage to keep our civilization safe, it also allowed the Moon-Mites to become bolder and more problematic. Until Della showed a solution with compassion."

"I'm not surprised. The Moon-Mite I met was really friendly when I gave it a piece of gold that I found. To think there was a whole city hidden right in front of me," Aaron breathed before asking. "What is Tranquility like? All I've heard about it so far is that it's made entirely of gold. I'm guessing by the name that it must be a grand utopia, but what else?"

"Well, aside from the Moon-Mite problem, well former Moon-Mite problems," Penumbra spoke, praising herself inwardly for not allowing her envy of Della to be made apparent in her voice (yes, she admitted she was a bit jealous of the Earther's heroism). "Our city is peaceful for the most part. Everyone just going about their lives, treating each other with respect and dignity. Very few squabbles."

"Sounds like a paradise. No wonder you miss it so much," Aaron smiled before saying. "And I'm sure everyone misses you guys too. Including your families."

"Well, if you consider our people our family, then yes," the mint-colored soldier nodded.

"Wait, don't you guys have siblings?" the humanoid asked curiously.

"Some Moonlanders have brothers, sisters, and cousins but not all of us," the lilac-colored soldier shrugged. "The General and I are only children and all the Moonlanders from the previous generation are gone."

"I'm sorry," the young Kree apologized before inquiring. "What about mates and children?"

"None yet," the Moon General said, rubbing the back of his neck, something he hadn't done since he was younger. "Although some of our people have already found mates."

"Well, I hope your future mates will make you two very happy," the auburn-haired young man nodded with a kind smile, a soft misty shade of blue still plastered on his face. "And I'm sure you guys will make amazing parents."

As flattery graced both Moonlanders faces, all three heard Gloria call out, "Estrellito?"

"Coming, Mom," Aaron called as he got up from the bed, placing the album back on the, and headed back to the main room with the two protectors of Tranquility close behind him.

While Aaron quickly made his way over to his adoptive family, Lunaris and Penumbra were being ushered towards the door by Launchpad and Della, with the four ducklings right beside them, Beakley and Scrooge at the open door though Webby did give Aaron a quick hug too). Both non-Earthers watched as their home's savior was pulled into a hug by the two duck anthros that had adopted him as one of their own, nuzzling him in the same fashion that female Moonlanders would with their young.

_They really do love him as their own_, was the realization that ran through both soldiers' heads.

Seeing the touching moment was sweet but also still…painful. Painful knowing that this family was all Aaron had. That he was deprived of a childhood filled with interactions with his own kind, beside his godmother. That it was strongly possible that he would never see another Kree for the rest of his days. However, something struck them again. While Moonlanders were not Kree, the fact was that the race, if they were anything like Aaron, were advanced warriors who fought in the name of their beloved home. Was that any different from their own people and society?

"Come along everyone," the eldest duck said as his family made their way out of the home while saying to the Cabrera matriarch. "Thank for having us, Officer Cabrera. We'll be in touch."

However, their venture towards the limo was stopped as both Moon Lieutenant and her male counterpart halted after the door closed behind them , eyes still focused on the family of three through the window, causing the Duck matriarch to ask, "What's up guys?"

"Can we stay with Aaron?" Penumbra asked without warning. "We don't want to leave him after that threat that was made against him."

"If anything happens, they can call us or Flurry. Plus, they can handle any breaking and entering," the retired agent reassured them. "Besides, I think those three just want some family time."

"And we don't wanna put any stress on Gloria. Not after the days she's been having," the mother of triplets added, watching the Cabreras softly, the two anthros and one Kree moving to sit together on the couch. "They'll be okay. They're tough. Just like you two."

The determined female duck's reassuring compliments did nothing to soothe them as they were guided back to the limo. Even as they got into the vehicle, their eyes never left the house until it was out of sight. And despite pilot/driver's slightly rocky driving, their minds were abuzz with countless thoughts, all of them focused on Aaron.

* * *

Sorry for how long it took! Here's Chapter 3! I was always confused about how there were no Moonlander kids or babies until I reasoned that the Moon and Tranquility were only so big so of course the Moonlanders had to keep their numbers down. And based on what I've seen, Lunaris, Penumbra, and all the other Moonlanders appear to be in the late teens or early to late-twenties-ish age range (or however they grow or age). Meanwhile, Palus, Gibbous, and Zenith being in the late twenties or in their thirties. My guess is that Moonlanders live a long time and can even have kids at a certain time so there's no over-population. And if anyone of you haven't already guessed, I did model the S.H.U.S.H. building after the Avengers' Tower in _Endgame_. Please enjoy the chapter! Pleasant readings!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Fight, Farmers Market, and A Friend

Lunaris sighed as he tossed back in forth in the unfamiliar bed, his body being kept awake by the thoughts in his head and the new, strange sensations running through him. The strange sounds, smells, and overall unusual feelings weren't helping either. The Moon leader would be lying if he were to say that he was not yet missing the comforts of home and his fellow Moonlanders. While he was certain that they would be alright, given how they were no longer threatened by the mites, he still wondered if they were missing him and Penumbra or if they all thought both soldiers were dead. Moon forbid the second idea! He also wondered if this is how Aaron felt when he came to Earth for the first time. Perhaps so.

Frustrated, he threw the soft Earther sheets off his body as he proceeded to swing his legs over the side before running his ungloved hands through his wavy aqua-tinted white hair. It was strange that, even with the change in surroundings, the mint-colored soldier still had the tendency to relieve himself of his cape, gloves, helmet, and boots to be comfortable. By Moon standards, he was considered not only stronger and more durable, as many males in his bloodline were, but also handsome. Whereas he had obtained most of his physical attributes from his father, the coloring of his eyes, hair, and skin belonged to that of his long-deceased mother, Lacusa. He wasn't ashamed of his appearance, far from it, but as a General, he was to always keep himself in full uniform. That didn't mean he would keep them on all the time, not that his clothes were uncomfortable of course. He just preferred to have a bit more skin contact with the bed, pillows, and sheets, even if they were foreign.

As oppose to Penumbra, who preferred to spend most of her relaxation time fully dressed (he found that out by accident), the Moon leader found sleeping fully dressed to be quite uncomfortable. And considering the warmth of the Earth's coming season (summer was what Della's middle son had called it), it was more than expected. Considering how Moonlanders did quite well and never endured climate changes or shifts in the environment's temperature, it was not all that surprising that adjusting to the changes in the Earth's environment would be a task.

"And to think Aaron went through several of these seasons and came out just fine," Lunaris murmured to himself before saying out loud. "How astonishing is that?"

The silence answered him awkwardly, leaving him to scan the room, taking in the furnishings and pictures before landing on one picture near the doorway which he had failed to notice when he first came into the room. Getting up and moving closer he saw that the photo itself depicted Scrooge with two small ducklings, one female and one male, both looking to be the same age as the triplets and only female duckling of the manor. It didn't take long to process, especially considering the young ducklings' clothes, that the picture was of Della and her brother when they were children. It was obvious, based on the happy smile and spark in her eyes, where the three brothers had gotten their exuberance from. The photo seemed to radiate an air of joy and carefreeness that reminded Lunaris of his own childhood before he began training, the memories causing him to smile. His fondest memories were of his own parents. His mother's nurture and love along with his bonding time with his father when they weren't training and Lunaris wasn't studying were wonderful times.

That smile soon faded as he recalled how Aaron lacked those specific kind of memories, the Moon leader's heart lurching in his chest. How horrible it must have been to not only grow up without his parents but also know little to nothing about who they were. Lunaris thought about how he would have turned out if he had lost both his parents long before their time, with little memories to hold onto, and the mere idea made his insides churn. Suddenly, feeling tired and a bit dizzy, he stumbled back towards the bed and slipped beneath the sheets once again. Sleep was finally arriving to lull him into the land of dreams.

_I wonder what other secrets lie behind that suit, _the mint-colored soldier wondered as his eyelids grew heavy.

And just as a blush came in as he realized the double entendre of his thoughts, he succumbed to the exhaustion and allowed his mind to drift into the dark.

* * *

"Thank heavens that the ball raised enough money to help repair police cruisers in incidents like this," Gloria murmured as she took a long sip of her coffee. "And Captain Hatchway is a good woman. She's got everyone on high alert."

"I still wonder what happened to the money that Beaks and Glomgold donated," Fenton murmured as he nibbled on a piece of spiced peach coffee cake before adding in hardened tone. "Bet they really didn't donate at all."

"Even if they did, I wouldn't accept one cent of their dirty money," the Cabrera matriarch hissed.

Aaron listened quietly as he devoured his second helping of the spiced peach coffee cake, one of many dishes made for them by their neighbors with Nutmeg laying in his lap. He tried to focus on the sweet flavor, most texture, and delightful crumble of the food as he stroked the extraterrestrial feline, but he knew what was going on in the heads of his family. They were thinking the same thing as he was; where were those two crooked CEOs up to now? And just _where _were those two? Both questions were equally significant as they were ominous.

The family of three had checked the news channel, the newspaper, news sites, and even contacted their friends to see if there had been any reports regarding the greedy drake or the attention-seeking parrot. However, they found none. It would seem that despite their arrogance and rash decisions, the two had enough sense to lay low, which meant that it would most likely still be awhile before the two showed their faces. The humanoid and his adoptive family knew that even with the two business owners' hatred for the Duck family, neither older or younger rich anthro would make a public appearance so soon after inadvertently aiding in the catastrophe. It should had relaxed them but, unfortunately, it was the opposite. In their eyes, the laying low of the two unpredictable, schemers just meant they were recuperating from the embarrassing ordeal and gearing up for the next big plan. But that wasn't the only thing on the young Kree's mind.

"I hope Zan is alright," Aaron murmured. "She's already been through enough bad publicity once. And she's a lot more of a victim than either of those two."

"You're really worried about her, aren't you, Hermanito?" the young intern inquired softly, looking at the humanoid with sympathetic eyes.

"Yes, it isn't fair she got pulled into all of this. If she had known that it really was Black Heron, she would have told someone! She's not a willing accomplice! And I'm afraid someone's going to turn this around and make her look like she's no better than Glomgold and Beaks," the auburn-haired young man sighed before taking a gulp of his own coffee that rivalled his mother's. "I wish she had taken my advice and left so she could start her own company without that parasite of a man holding her down."

"I know you're scared for her, mijo," the policewoman soothed gently. "But I'm sure she's okay. She's a smart, resourceful young lady."

Despite her brief encounters with the young female owl, Gloria could tell that Owlson was as far cry from the second-rate businessman. In fact, the amicable professional reminded the older Latina duck of herself and many of her female colleagues when they were young rookies, all of them ready, eager, and hopeful to make the world a better place. And even after all the horrors and struggles they went through, they continued to do what they were trained for and hold onto their beliefs.

"M'ma's right, Aaron," the young blooming scientist jumped in. "Owlson is tough. She has to be if she's stuck babysitting Glomgold."

That caused all three to share a round of laughter before Aaron spied the time on his phone and spoke up, "We better be heading out now."

"I still can't believe you boys couldn't get the day off," the older Latina duck said in a concerned tone. "You deserve a break after what you've done."

"Mr. Gearloose is in a pretty good mood considering how Flurry is letting him work on the barrier device that covered the city so it can be used for other events. I don't want to ruin it for him," the younger Latino drake shrugged kindly.

"And Lorraine and the staff are still one person short until Ariel gets back from maternity leave in a couple more weeks. It really isn't wouldn't be fair to them or the students if I ask for time off," the humanoid added. "I still can't believe she had her triplets during the whole Solenestrite event."

After he and Fenton had returned home after their ordeal in space, he had gotten a notification from social media and discovered that his co-worker had given birth to triplets, two girls and one boy. He had gotten around to seeing what their names were but he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and love when he saw picture of the woman and her three beautiful bundles, as if he were the proud father. It got him thinking back to a time when he was still naïve to the seriousness of things and strongly believed he would someday return to Kree and have a family of his own. In his younger teen years, it had partially faded and changed into daydreams and childish hopes about telling Kayla who he really was and starting a relationship with her.

But now he knew better.

Getting up, the female Flerken jumping off his lap as he did so and trotted off to snooze elsewhere, Aaron followed his mother and brother out of the house, the young intern already calling a driver for them. However, he immediately hung up what he saw what was outside in their driveway. A large, silvery white SUV van was parked in the Cabrera driveway, facing outward towards the street. Though they tried to be cautious, curiosity won out as they went over and inspected it, discovering the keys hidden under one of the tires.

The auburn-haired young man and his family were a bit startled when his phone rang before he quickly answered upon seeing who was calling, "Hey Flurry, I-!"

He was cut off when she spoke in her knowing voice, _"I had the boys drop over the van early this morning. Figured that you need one of these. Tank is full, just so you know."_

"Well, uh, thank you!" the young Kree managed to say with sincere politeness in spite of his flabbergasted state. "That's really sweet of you."

"_Don't mention it," _she said in cool, proud tone.

As he hung up, he turned to Fenton and Gloria, "Don't worry, it's safe. Flurry sent it over."

"How that woman always lends a hand at the right moments, I'll never know," the policewoman shook her head but was smiling.

As Fenton opened the car, and got into the driver's seat, he eagerly shouted, "So, who am I dropping off first?"

A thought came to Aaron as he spoke, "You can drop mom off and take the van. I'll just fly over to my work and come get the car when or if I need it today. No need to waste a free full tank on three trips when one of us is already suited and ready to fly."

"Sweetie, are you sure?" Gloria asked gently.

"I'm sure, Mom," Aaron reassured them kindly as he hugged both her and the young blooming scientist before activating his wings. "See you both later!"

As he took off into the skies and they waved him goodbye, the Cabrera matriarch got into the passenger seat and said calmly but firmly to her oldest son, "Remember, Pollito; watch out for your little brother. Especially with the threat we got and those two who are staying with Mr. McDuck."

"I will M'ma," Fenton reassured his mother determinedly as he started the car. "Can't imagine what kind of trouble they're causing at the manor."

* * *

"Breakfast is almost ready guys!" the voice of the Duck matriarch echoed from the kitchen as did the clattering and crashing of utensils and other kitchen miscellany which contradicted the determined female duck's words.

"You need help, Mom?" Huey asked from where he sat with his brothers, Webby, and Penumbra.

"I've got it sweetie!" Della reassured over the noise that sounded like a fire. "Trust me, the wait will be worth it when you taste my Dellac-table Triple Chip Pancakes!"

"Where are your uncle and that Beakley Earther?" the lilac-colored soldier immediately asked, having been uneasy since the mother of triplets disappeared into the kitchen.

During her short time in Tranquility, the aircraft-loving anthro had attempted to be a good guest and cook for her and the Moon Lieutenant. Unfortunately, due to a decade of being away from a kitchen and being introduced to ingredients and tools she was unfamiliar with, Della's attempt at producing a Moon dinner was…unsuccessful to say the least. It was then agreed that the cooking would be left to the Penumbra. It was not bad, despite the Duck matriarch's failure to remember to wash the dishes.

"They're talking with the family of a deceased friend of theirs," Webby replied, remembering how her grandmother said they needed to have a private discussion at the Bin with the late Von Drake's family. "You'll see them again later in the evening."

"What about the one known as Launchpad?" the Moon warrioress inquired.

"He's out at some comic store buying all the Darkwing Duck comics that are on sale," Dewey jumped in before saying sheepishly. "And he and Mom are still trying to get along."

"I'm honestly thought they would get along," Louie added as he looked up from his phone to look at the female Moon guardian. "Almost worried they would start flirting when they met."

"Don't even joke about that," the middle triplet said, smile dropping from his face as his voice took on a dead serious tone.

He wasn't dead set on believing the myth that all single parents were vulnerable to falling for people who would later show their real, cruel colors to their unwitting spouses and step-children. And the thought of his mom being, romantically at least, alone was not something he wanted at all for the woman he had been longing to meet. However, the blue-clothed brother could honestly say he was not yet ready for the idea of sharing his mom's loving attention with anyone outside friends and family in a way that wasn't platonic. He wasn't unused to the presence of a male parent (he and his brothers called their uncle 'Dad' once by accident each), but a male parent that was not related was a big step for anyone to ask of the willful Dewey. Della had already confessed to her sons that she had through insemination at the Duckburg Fertility Health Clinic, meaning they would likely never know their biological father. From what they understood, their mother wanted kids but was not willing to co-parent with anyone other than her brother and uncle.

Unknown to the three male ducklings, there was another reason.

They turned when heard a soft but audible yawn to discover the male Moon guardian walking towards him, still trying to rub the sleep from his eyes, looking dazed but was trying to keep himself composed in front of his second-in-command and the four ducklings. Thankfully, just like Penumbra's wisteria eyes, there were no signs of bags under Lunaris's teal-colored eyes, meaning he had gotten an ample amount of sleep. Still, it was clear that he was still going through adjustments. But at least he didn't almost get himself lost in the manor as his female counterpart had done.

"Good Morning, General Lunaris!" the eldest of the triplets crowed with a friendly smile and an even more polite tone, not unlike the way he would greet the Junior Woodchuck scoutmasters, as he poured a glass of orange juice and pushed it towards the older male. "I hope you had a good sleep!"

"It was a struggle at first, but I got the rest that I needed," the mint-colored soldier nodded with a gentle smile. "Thank you,-Er, I'm sorry but may I have your name again."

"Sure, it's Huey!" the red-clothed brother said.

"Dewey!" his younger counterpart piped up.

"Louie," the green-clothed triplet added with a cool smile.

"And I'm Webby!" the bubblegum-clothed duckling piped up.

Taking note of the golden star, five-pointed as opposed to Aaron's eight pointed, hanging on a bracelet on her wrist, the Moon leader spoke, "Where did you get that from? It's quite lovely."

"Oh, this? Aaron gave it to me," the retired agent's granddaughter said before adding apologetically. "It's a fragment off the Solenestrite's Titan's golden arm. Which means it's Moon gold. You can have it back, if you want."

"No, that's alright. You can keep it," the Moon General quickly reassured her with a simple smile. "If Aaron gave it to, it's yours."

"Plus, we have tons of gold back on the Moon," the lilac-colored soldier added proudly. "Even our trash is made of gold."

"Quit bragging. I'm already jealous!" the youngest of the brothers proclaimed, tone annoyed but eyes clearly full of excitement.

Lunaris couldn't help but chuckle a bit (even noticing how Penumbra smirked smugly knowing that one of Della's sons envied Tranquility), before saying, "What were you all talking about before I came in?"

"We were talking about how Mom and Launchpad are NOT flirting," the second-born of the brother announced as he gave the youngest a sharp look which Louie just brushed off with an eye-roll of his own.

"What's flirting?" both Moonlanders inquired as they stared at each other in confusion before looking back at the four young Earthers with the same expressions.

"You know what courting is?" Huey inquired, waiting for the two lunar protectors to nod, before continuing. "It's like that but kind of…informal. It can happen at any time and to anyone. Sometimes the people involve are strangers, sometimes they're friends or acquaintances that have known each other for years. It involves joking around, seeing if they're a match under a friendly guise, looking at each other dreamily, hanging out a lot, and some physical contact, namely holding hands, hugging, and kissing. Sometimes the flirting turns into something more. Sometimes it doesn't."

As the two Moon guardians nodded to show their understanding and simultaneously took a sip of their glasses, Dewey added off-handedly, "Some people can have more than one person flirting with them too. I've seen it happen to Aaron."

The four kids nearly jumped out of their seats in surprise when spurt of orange juice flew out of the Moon warrioress's mouth while her companion managed to hold onto his mouthful and swallow it hard, which led to him coughing for a few seconds. Finally done with their displays of surprise, both visitors from the Moon looked at each other in morbid shock before turning to see the blue-clothed brother wincing as his brothers and friend also stared at him.

"When did you see that?" the eldest triplet asked incredulously.

"It happened when Uncle Donald took you and Louie to the library last week and I went with Aaron and Storkules to Behemoth Burger to try it that jalapeno popper burger," the middle brother began. "We were sitting down when these two girls who were Aaron's age began talking with him and Storkules. They were doing the whole hair flip, eye-lash fluttering, and complimenting stunts, the whole she-bang. But you can totally tell they were only interested because of his looks and they thought being a hero meant money."

"And what did Moonshield do?" the Moon Lieutenant inquired, feeling her own tenseness grow with the look of pure apprehension and curiosity on her fellow Moonlander's face.

She didn't blame him. Courting was taken just as seriously as coming of age and while they knew not everyone found their eternal mate on the first try, the sincerity that went into any courting was meant to be equal. To hear that the young Kree had been courted by two Earthers who did not truly love him or wish to be mates, only wanting him for status, was…well, appalling was the most polite term the two could come up with.

"He was just friendly and neutral right back," the blue-clothed brother shrugged. "They really weren't his type, anyway."

"His type?" the Moon leader echoed with confusion.

"They didn't have the traits that Aaron would be looking for in a potential mate," the female duckling explained before a thoughtful look appeared on her face. "Come to think of it, we don't know what Aaron's type is specifically, do we?"

"Well, saving the city doesn't exactly leave him time to even go hang out with anyone outside of us and the Cabreras," Louie said half-casually, half-sympathetically. "We don't even know if he IS really thinking of being with anyone in Duckburg."

_Then perhaps his type is not on Earth, _the female Moon guardian concluded as she glanced at her fellow lunar protector.

The male Moon guardian was giving her a similar look of intrigue and hopefulness when his face scrunched as he sniffed the air, "What is that?"

Penumbra and the four ducklings sniffed the air and found that it indeed smelled of something like ash and burnt sugar, before the boys screamed in unison, "MOM!"

All six dining room occupants, led by the trio of brothers, quickly made their way to the kitchen where they were greeted with a mix of black clouds of smoke and the sound of an unseasonal roaring fire. It was quickly replaced with a misty white fluff and the hiss of the fire extinguisher. As the smoke and mist cleared, they discovered a sheepishly grinning Della dressed in a soot and foam stained apron, which matched the rest of her. All around her, besides smoke stains and foam, were splatters of batter and other ingredients. And on the stove, in a pan, was a blackened lump of what were mostly likely meant to be pancakes.

"I guess I got carried away with substituting potato chips for peanut butter chips," the Duck matriarch said, laughing with an embarrassed nervousness. "Life lesson kids; sometimes you gotta leave things as they are. Probably should have taken Duckworth up on his offer to cook breakfast for us."

The only response came in the form of another pan coming unglued from the batter on the ceiling and landing with a loud clatter, causing them all to jump.

"Peanut butter and apples, anyone?" the determined female duck asked weakly.

* * *

"You did amazing, Ronnie," Aaron said as he finished writing on his clipboard.

The young, blonde-haired duck grinned happily as she stopped the car, "Really?"

The auburn-haired young man nodded with a smile before he was thanked with a high-five and loud whoop of joy from the young high schooler. Going to work had lifted his worries concerning Owlson and the two distasteful business owners. Upon arrival, he had been met with eager faces and few more gifts, thankfully not all of them were food. It made him feel a bit flustered once again being given so much attention, even if it was positive. Thankfully, Lorraine managed to get the students to ease up on their exuberance, allowing him to do his job. It seemed everything was going right that day.

After the short celebration ended, the humanoid added, "Now let's-"

His words were halted when an ominously familiar car suddenly burst through the other side of the training course and swerve to stop right in front of the car the two were in. Aaron's mind wandered back to over two months ago. He remembered the car that had trailed him and Launchpad to the bin. Light blue eyes looked to see that Ronnie was looking between him and the car with a perplexed and frightened look. He knew he was going to feel pretty bad for this, but he knew her safety was more important than anything.

In his most dead-serious tone, he said, "Ronnie, go inside and tell Lorraine to call the cops. Get everyone else to block the doors and cover the windows. Now."

She didn't say anything as she jolted out of the car, thankfully having already unbuckled herself, a dashed in, slamming the door with a loud bang. Aaron did the same, but unlike his student, he did not follow her inside, instead choosing to calmly close and shut the passenger side door as he took a few steps forward. No sooner had he done that did the driver step out. It wasn't so much who stepped out that surprised the young Kree but rather the appearance.

As he had suspected, the driver was Graves, but if anyone else had seen him, he would most likely be unrecognizable. His usually slick, combed hair was now in such a mess that mirrored a dead black rat. He was missing the jacket part of his suit, his tie was loose, and all of his clothes were wrinkled, making him look like a stressed-out office worker. The bloodshot eyes were not helping either, even as they narrowed venomously at Aaron as the black car's driver's side door was slammed so hard, the window shattered, effectively causing Graves' left eye to twitch.

"I'm not saying I care but what the krutak happened to you?" the young Kree asked with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms to match his unafraid voice.

"Beagle Boys," the professional corporate saboteur barked. "Tried to take the lion's share of the money that Heron got out of Glomgold and Beaks."

"And you're here telling me this when you know you're a wanted criminal because?" the auburn-haired young man inquired in a voice that said he didn't care about the brutish bird of prey but was curious as to what was going on.

"When I tried to cash the check in, I saw that it was invalid," Graves spat, taking a minute to try and smooth back his hair before continuing. "So, I'm only going to ask you this once; where are they?"

"Who?" Aaron replied with a surprised and confused blink but kept his tone steady.

"Those two sorry excuses for CEOs and Miss Charitable!" the older anthro snapped. "I know you could care less about them so why don't you just tell me where they are. It would be a great way to get back at them, especially your ex-boyfriend. Plus, I get paid so it's a win-win situation for you and I."

"Okay, first of all, Beaks and I were never a couple. Two, I don't know where they are and even if I did, I wouldn't tell the man you nearly murdered my mother. And third, you're partially wrong," the humanoid shot back defiantly. "Zan is my friend! And she's a good person unlike those two. But you wouldn't know anything about good people."

Rather than become further agitated as the young Kree thought, Graves smirked and have a spiteful chuckle as he said, "Miss Beagle told me her opinion about you. And it looked like she was right."

"What are you talking about?" Aaron asked though he was already dreading the answer.

"People like _you _sleep with anyone," Falcon sneered. "How long was it with Ms. Owlson? Bet you couldn't even-!"

Suffice to say that sneer was wiped clean off with a _punch _that, in spite of the ominous avian's anticipation, still caught him off guard as he was sent skidding across the asphalt. No sooner did that happen did Aaron proceeded to jump on Graves, intending to hold him down and perhaps deliver another punch. But the professional corporate saboteur was clever, even when he was strike down, as he spat a mixture of blood and saliva into the humanoid's light blue eyes, causing Aaron to be startled for a second. Unfortunately, a second was all that the ominous avian needed as he managed to flip their positions and pin Starcaster down. Just as he was about to retaliate, the young Kree froze as he felt Falcon press his body closer to his, going as far as to ever so slightly grind himself on the younger male mockingly.

"You like that, Blue Blood? Hmm?" the older anthro asked mockingly. "I bet you do. I bet the reason why you never called Beaks out on his perverse behavior is because you liked it and craved it like the little harlot you are."

The auburn-haired young man couldn't respond as his mind flashed back to all the times that he had allowed that sleaze of a business owner put his hands on him, as if the humanoid was the ambitious young CEO. His cheeks turned dark blue with horror and shame as the one on top continued to degrade him.

"You know, that mother of yours is quite attractive," Graves began with a vicious grin. "Maybe when we're done here, I'll go pay her a visit."

Then, without any kind of warning, Aaron used his knee to push his opponent away before ramming it into the ominous avian's crotch as hard as he could. If he were in a better mood and had not just had his mother threatened, the auburn-haired young man would have guffawed at Falcon's scream of agony. But he didn't. Instead, he proceeded to ram a fist hard into the professional corporate saboteur's gut before delivering an uppercut to the face, drawing more crimson fluid. When Graves tried to strike back, he was given a horrible surprise when the humanoid caught his arm and proceeded to break it before flipping him onto his back. He let out a pained cough as Starcaster stamped a food hard on his chest.

"You will never touch her or anyone else I care about ever again," the young Kree hissed in rage as he brought his face closer to the older anthro's.

The brutish bird of prey managed to creak open his eyes a bit to see the other's infuriated expression. His attention was immediately drawn to the humanoid's eyes. Whether it was deliriousness from the pain or a trick of the light, Falcon swore that Starcaster's eyes looked…gold.

"Hermanito!"

Both Graves and Aaron turned their attention to see the familiar forms of Gizmoduck and two police officers rushing forward. While the older anthro was a roughly picked up and cuffed by the two officers, who he could have easily taken out if he wasn't suffering from his opponent's brutality, while the mechanical-suited drake came to stand beside his brother. As he was being led away, he looked back at the two heroes, who were glaring at him with barely controlled rage, and found that the humanoid's orbs were once again a light blue.

* * *

"So, what does Moonshield do when he's not saving people?" Penumbra asked as she devoured another apple slice laden with peanut butter as she sat with her male counterpart, two of the triplets, and Webby in the passenger part of the limo while Dewey sat beside driver Della.

After the breakfast debacle and cleaning the kitchen, they all decided to take a drive through the city. Launchpad had kindly left the keys to the limo in case the two guests and the other five residents of the manor had decided to have a day out and hoping to appease the Duck matriarch. Della had to begrudgingly give him the benefit of the doubt while the female Moon guardian found it incredibly humorous, though she wouldn't say, that the determined female duck was getting taste of how it was like to have the mother of triplets in Tranquility. At the same time, she felt a strange warmth in the chest upon seeing the adult female Earther express some similar behavioral qualities as her. Maybe the Moon Lieutenant's time on Earth would be better than she expected.

_Aah! What am I thinking?! _the lilac-colored soldier shook her head slightly, to which went unnoticed by everyone.

"Aaron has a second job as a driving instructor," Webby piped up from where she sat knowing on some string cheese. "He tests people to see if they can drive so they can get a license to drive whenever they want."

"So, he trains Earthers to use land-based transportation," Lunaris stated with an approving look.

"That's basically it," Louie shrugged but smiled as he added. "But that's nothing to the fact that he used to fly jets and Kree ships with his godmother."

"He did?" all three adults in the car gasped before grunting as Della narrowly missed hitting the curb.

"I didn't know that!" the aircraft-loving anthro exclaimed before laughing in excitement. "Man, he and I have got to hang out together!"

_Who wouldn't want to be in his presence_? Lunaris thought before he shook his head, shooing off the blush he felt trying to push its way onto his face. _Where in the name of Tranquility are these thoughts coming from?_

"Has he flown any Earth ships or does he have a ship of his own?" Penumbra inquired curiously.

"Well-," Huey began but was suddenly cut off.

"STOP!" the retired agent's granddaughter shouted, causing the limo to suddenly jolt to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Della asked in a startled voice, worry blooming on her face.

The triplets turned to see where their friend was looking at and their mouths dropped open as Dewey shouted, "There's a police car in front of Aaron's workplace!"

Immediately, all four ducklings jumped from the limo and began running for the building while the three adults fumbled to get out, still surprised and now beyond concerned, to go after the frantic quartet of kids. As the got closer to the entrance, all of them fearing the worse (especially Webby), they thought back to the night before. The damaged police car. The threatening note. The shared feeling of dread. Throwing open the door they anticipated the worse.

You can imagine their relief when a startled, but thankfully unharmed, Starcaster and Gizmoduck twisted to stare in surprise at the sudden arrival of the four ducklings, the former of the two uttering in confusion, "Kids?"

He didn't get to have another word in as the kids ran forward and tackled him with hugs, nearly knocking him over. Aaron gave a startled and unsure laugh as he held Webby and Huey while Dewey and Louie managed to hug and hold onto his upper arms and shoulders. Upon finally seeing a closer look, catching the fleeting fear from their faces, and sharing a perplexed but reassuring look with Fenton, did the humanoid finally decided to see what the issue was.

"What's going on?" the young Kree asked in a soothing voice, managing to hide his alarm to not upset them further.

Before they could reply, Della dashed trough the door, both Moonlander right behind her, before speaking, "Is everything okay? We saw the police car out front. Did something happen?"

"I had an unexpected visitor," the auburn-haired young man said, voice dripping with a seriousness. "Falcon Graves."

"Who?" the mother of triplets said in confusion.

"He's a saboteur for hire. Recently, he tried to help Black Heron with her plan," the eldest brother explained.

Upon hearing this, both lunar protectors immediately adopted looks of anger and horror, getting into tense stances as the Moon warrioress snapped, "Corrupt coward! Where is he!?"

"He's in the cruiser," the mechanical-suited drake stated firmly. "And after what Aaron did to him, he wouldn't dare try to make a break for it."

"Whatever you did to him, he deserved it," Louie muttered firmly, recalling how the ominous avian had threatened to kill Starcaster's adoptive mother.

"Something we can all agree on," the mint-colored soldier nodded with a hardened voice before asking the young Kree in a gentler one. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," the humanoid said as sincerely, not wanting to go into detail in regards to the awful things Graves told him.

The Moon General smiled brightly at the auburn-haired young man, who returned the smile, before he noticed the way in which the armored duck was looking at him. Fenton was glaring down the male Moonlander like he was a suspect in a bank heist, slightly moving in front of his younger brother, clearly not having forgotten the unsuccessful meeting the night before. Without realizing it, Lunaris gave a hard gulp, his throat feeling incredibly dry.

All of their attention was drawn to a door behind the counter opening as Lorraine and one of the cops stepped out, the latter saying as he tipped his hat politely, "We got everything. Thanks again, Starcaster! You as well, Gizmoduck! You two have a good day."

They all watched from the window the cop rejoined his partner in the cruiser before the vehicle started as they turned to drive off. In that moment, they all caught a glimpse of the soon-to-be incarcerated brutish bird of prey. Falcon was shooting Aaron a hate-filled glower for five seconds before he was startled to see the two Moonlanders who glowered right back with ten times the amount of hate that the older anthro was emitting.

When the cruiser was out of sight, Aaron turned back to Lorraine, "How are you and the students?"

"We're shaken up but just fine. Some of them actually got hyped up from the whole ordeal," the older female reassured with a smile.

"Alright, we'll give them fifteen more minutes and then we'll get back on track," the young Kree nodded, smiling as the kids continued to hold on.

"About that," Lorraine began carefully with a sympathetic look on her face. "I got a call from the boss telling me to let you go home for the day. Actually, I've been told to give you a couple of weeks off."

Everyone looked at her in shock as Aaron stared at her before saying in disbelief, "What? Why? Graves is gone and everybody's fine. I know we had a scare but I promise you that if I knew Graves was coming, I would have-!"

"No one blames you, honey. The issue is that that man coming here and attacking is cause for alarm not just for safety reasons but financial as well," the Southern woman cringed. "They're worried about a suit."

"From who?" the humanoid inquired, still shocked but now a little curious.

"From you, one of the students, or their families or anyone who thinks that the higher ups should be held accountable for how easy it is for the. And seeing how your mother is an officer and you're acquainted with Scrooge McDuck, it only adds to that fear," Lorraine explained with apologetic tone and face.

"Unless they hired Graves, and we both know they didn't, I'm not suing anyone," the auburn-haired young man attempted to protest.

"I know and I agree you with you, sugar. But you try telling that to them," the seasoned anthro said before continuing with a rueful smile. "I'm really sorry. But look at it this way; you get to have some time off you deserve after what happened."

All the while the two were talking, everyone was watching and listening in a shocked silence. The kids were worriedly looking back between Starcaster and Lorraine, while old enough to understand the conversation, they were completely unprepared for the topic of the conversation. Gizmoduck, who had been surprised, was now biting his lip, torn between wanting to speak out and allowing his little brother to fight his own battles. He couldn't imagine being force to leave work for a reason that almost seemed like punishment despite how people would make it sound rewarding. On the other hand, he was somewhat grateful that there was a strong possibility that Aaron would now be spending time with him or the rest of the friends and family, away from any places where their enemies could get him alone. He shivered in pure disgust and agitation as he imagined what could have happened if a certain attention-seeking parrot had come to premises.

Della, Lunaris, and Penumbra were also in state of incredulity and perturb as they watched the scene play out before them. In all her life, before being stranded on the Moon for a decade, the aircraft-loving anthro had seen all kinds of crazy things happen around her, both in Duckburg and in the places she would venture to with Donald and Scrooge. More than once, someone they knew, whether they just met or had known for a good amount of years, would get involved. But the people and environment around them would usually bounce back without struggle. To hear her friend being given what was technically unnecessary time off for something that could have happened to anyone (or at least anyone close to her family) was strange. And not in a good way.

Meanwhile, the two Moonlanders were feeling an emotion that was slightly burning their chests which they quickly came to realize was anger. Anger for what they heard for in their minds, Aaron being made to leave work for a little bit translated to him being stripped of his role in the work place which, in their opinion, screamed unjust penalty. Lunaris felt his hands begin to clench, but this time he knew the reason being his own feeling of furious disapproval. He wanted to say something, and by the looks of Penumbra's face increasing in its agitation, the Moon leader knew she wanted to speak up in the young Kree's defense. With her fists.

But before anyone could speak any of the words buzzing in their heads, Aaron spoke first, surprising everyone as he said, "Alright."

"What?!" came the collective shout of astonishment.

"I'm not gonna come to work while people like Graves are out there, waiting to come after me and put innocent people in danger," the humanoid said firmly as he looked into the eyes of everyone in the room, gently detaching the ducklings from him and setting them on the ground. "Innocent people who I will not allow to be put in harm's way because of me."

As if to prove Aaron's point, a young male canary with auburn eyes opened the door to the room that all the students had been put in, poked his head out and said in a timid voice, "Miss Lorraine? Mr. A?"

"Let me tell the students what's happening," the auburn-haired young man said calmly. "The least I can do is tell them goodbye."

"Of course," the older duck nodded as she and him headed to the room.

As the door closed, an unusual silence came over the group for a few minutes before Louie turned to look out the window and spoke, "Uh, Mom?"

"Yes, Louie?" Della said as she turned her attention from the door to her youngest son.

"Did you grab the card Uncle Scrooge left us?" the green-clothed triplet asked.

"Yes, I did? Why?" the Duck matriarch asked in confusion.

"Because they're towing the limo," Louie replied as he pointed out the window. "Look!"

"What?!" Della screeched as she ran outside, her boys right behind her.

Webby glanced between the Moonlanders and techno hero before hurrying after her friends and their mother. Once the three were alone, the sense of awkwardness returned as the two Moon protectors and one of the protectors of Duckburg eyed each other in a silent challenge. The young intern's hardened stare from beneath his visor made the mint-colored soldier uneasy while the lilac-colored soldier just glared back with a vengeance, not helping the situation.

Having enough of the hard silence, Lunaris spoke up, "It's good to see you again! Fenton, isn't it?"

"Gizmoduck is what people call me when I wear this suit," Fenton said in a neutral tone with a fair respectful tinge. "Everyone knows who Aaron is but I rather not be called by my real name when I'm in this suit, thank you."

"Oh, uh, very well," the Moon leader nodded in polite compliance as he shot his second-in-command a look that firmly commanded that she agree as well.

"Fine, Gizmoduck it is," the Moon warrioress said simply, struggling not to huff in a sarcastic tone, already a bit annoyed by the whole situation.

A minute later, Aaron emerged from the room, sighing as he spoke, "Okay, I'm officially on temporary leave."

"What are you gonna do?" the young Latino drake inquired in a gentle, brotherly tone as he looked softly at the young Kree.

As the humanoid opened his mouth to respond when Della and the ducklings returned with defeated looks on their faces, causing him to instead ask, "What happened?"

"Apparently I parked illegally," the aircraft-loving anthro murmured in an embarrassed voice. "Plus, I forgot my license, so they also got me for being an unlicensed driver."

"They should try being stuck on the Moon for a decade without getting behind a vehicle!" the blue-clothed triplet objected in defense of his mother.

"So, we're gonna have to walk back to the mansion?" the lilac-colored soldier asked in an annoyed tone, earning herself another firm look from the mint-colored soldier that said for her to mind her tone at the moment.

Looking at the unhappy faces of the mother, triplets, and his little sister, along with the two Moon protectors who looked both lost and fed up, the auburn-haired young man turned to his brother and said, "Can I have the van?"

Catching onto the solution in his brother's request, the young blooming scientist nodded, "Sure!"

"Van?" the bubblegum-clothed duckling echoed in surprise and confusion as she and the others stared at the humanoid.

"Flurry gave us a vehicle to use whenever we need it," the young Kree explained with a smile, catching the calendar near the door out of the corner of his eye. "Anybody up for a little day out together?"

"Yeah!" the kids all shouted as they proceeded to jump on him again.

As Della laughed, the two Moon guardians couldn't help but watch the display while feeling both warmth and envy.

* * *

"What is this place called again?" the Moon Lieutenant asked as she stared at the various stands, tents, and people.

"It's a farmers market," the mother of triplets explained. "It's basically where people come to sell their own produce and products without the use of a grocery store or any retail businesses."

"So, they would rather trade their goods face to face than allow another to put them on display," the Moon General murmured as he wrapped his mind around it.

Aaron nodded, "Yes. Some people do it because they don't to risk expansion and want to retain independence along with authenticity of their goods. Other do it because they want to expand on their own without any outward help that could affect their businesses. Everyone's reason is different."

"And you like to obtain your supplies this way?" Penumbra inquired curiously.

"Yes," the young Kree nodded. "Don't get me wrong. I don't mind going to the grocery store but sometimes farmers markets have really good things you don't find at conventional markets. And it reminds me of when I was younger and Kayla's family would bring me with them to get farm-fresh produce and dishes."

Lunaris found himself feeling that same gut-twisting sensation, the name bringing him a sense of sympathy for Aaron but also a small sense of jealousy. It was ridiculous! Why did it matter so much? They were just happy memories after all. Everyone was entitled to happy memories. Perhaps he was just eager to know the humanoid more. That had to be it.

Upon arriving at a stand that featured peaches, Aaron promptly grabbed freshly cut peach slice off a plate that read "Free Samples" and offered it to the taller male, "Here, try this! You'll love it! Peaches were one of the first fruits I tried when I came to my universe's Earth and I've loved them ever since!"

The Moon leader startled himself and Aaron when, rather than take the slice and consume it, he proceeded to consume the fruit piece from the other's hand. Both blushed madly but the slightly older non-Earther did not pull away until he had consumed the peach wedge which was indeed delicious. As they pulled away, neither seemed to be able to break eye contact or speak a word, the only two witnesses to the event were the female Moonlander and Duck matriarch who were also a bit surprised.

Aaron was the first to break the awkward silence with a small laugh as he asked, "See? I told you would like it!"

"Yes, it was…delicious," Lunaris nodded, voice coming out almost breathless as if the whole thing had taken an exertion on him.

Della tore her eyes away from the scene to look at Penumbra who was still staring curiously at her superior officer and the auburn-haired young man. It was one of the few times where the determined female duck saw the fierce female Moonlander so…unaggressive. While she wasn't one to mind if someone had a fiery or tough-as-nails attitude, seeing the lilac-colored soldier in this calm state made something trigger a slew of fast heartbeats in Della's chest. An idea slowly began to perk its way into the aircraft-loving anthro's head. Checking to make sure that the kids were still safely hanging out at the small petting zoo section (according to Aaron, the market always had something to keep the children preoccupied) she set her plan into action.

"I'm gonna go back to that cheese stand. I'm gonna see if they have any sharp cheddar so I can make the kids homemade cheese crackers. A mother makes her kids homemade snacks, right? Right!" the mother of triplets said before she scampered off, making a mental note to herself to actually buy some sharp cheddar as she focused on her hidden goal.

"Okay!" Aaron called after her.

Penumbra blinked as she watched the aircraft-loving anthro disappear into the crowd, feeling a small and unusual sense of desertion before shaking it off while mentally saying, _Get a hold of yourself!_

The two Moonlanders proceeded to follow their friend to different stands, examining everything even tasting a few free samples. More than once, Aaron had once again fed a few of the said samples to the male Moon guardian. Once or twice, he had tentatively offered a sample to the female Moon guardian when she seemed very skeptical. While the auburn-haired young man had blushed as well, the Moon warrioress seemed unphased as she took the offered food and ate it. When this happened, the Moon leader had the strange urge to push his second-in-command away and take the treat. It wasn't so much for the sake of tasting the Earth food but just to feel Aaron's fingers graze his lip.

When they came to a stand that had a sign that read "Berry Delicious" and three female Earthers appeared, all of them of the avian variety. One was a duck with dark-brown feathers and short dirty blonde hair with black and red highlights who appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties with name tag that read Mo. The second was a bluebird with some white feathers and dark blue eyes who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties with a name tag that read Tess. The third was a blue-naped chlorophonia who was taller than her two companions and appeared to be the oldest, possibly in her late twenties or early thirties with a name tag that read Carla. All of them wore bright red and purple uniforms with the stand's logo on them, not unlike the workers at their own respective stands.

"Hi Aaron," all three cooed in playful voices, not unlike that of Valentina and Quinn.

"Hi Mo. Hi Tess. Hi Carla," the auburn-haired young man. "I want you to meet my friends. This is Lunaris and Penumbra!"

"Hello!" Carla said cheerfully with a bright smile and a smooth voice with Brazilian accent. "Any friends of Aaron are friends of ours."

"We got some new blueberry products you might want to try," Tess said in a sweet and soft voice like a new school girl. "And it's buy two items, get one free day."

As the young bluebird began to fetch the mentioned items, Lunaris and Penumbra noticed something peculiar. There, behind them and a few feet to the right, there was a clear, empty space. If it wasn't for the size that signaled that another stand was meant to be there and how it stood out of the neat rows of other stands, they probably wouldn't have noticed it. The final thing that caused their curiosity to reach a header was how some of the market goers would stop, stare at the spot, shake their heads, and go on their way.

"What happened over there?" the Moon Lieutenant asked as she pointed at the spot.

"What was that now?" the humanoid asked after he swallowed a sample of the stand's blueberry hand pies.

"There seems to be a stand missing," the Moon General spoke up as he to pointed at the vacancy. "Is someone late or is that just extra space?"

"Yeah, you're right. Louise's Jumping Juleps stand use to be there," Aaron nodded in confusion as he further explained. "Juleps are an Earth drink that usually include mint, an Earth herb."

As they all turned back to the berry stand, they were startled to see both the Carla and Tess with sad and anxious looks on their faces and a defiant, angry look on Mo's face, causing the young Kree to carefully ask, "Guys, what happened to Louise's stand?"

"Louise has…moved on," the Brazilian chlorophonia said quietly.

"You mean like moved to another district of Duckburg or moved up in the world to sell more of her juleps?" Aaron asked calmly, though he was slightly nervous to hear the answer.

"She's moved back to stay with her parents in Chickago," the young bluebird added shyly.

"Why? Did something happen?" the auburn-haired young man asked worriedly, thinking about the young canine anthro with hair that was a bright brown with freckles who often spoke of health due to her having a brother and father who both had some health problems.

"It's more so for herself," Tess said. "You see, she-"

"She's gone!" Mo, who had been stewing in silence, snapped. "And I'm glad."

With that, she stomped off while Carla half-heartedly try calling her back, the three aliens watching the whole situation with shock. Starcaster was the most shocked of all as he, in all the time he interacted with Mo during his trips to the farmers market, she had always been the laid back one. Even when she was the slightest bit annoyed, she would just reply with a dry-humored sarcastic quip.

"Okay, what happened?" Aaron demanded in a gentle but authoritative voice. "What's up with Louise moving away and Mo being angry with her?"

"It's not so much Louise who Mo is mad at," Tess sighed. "It's Louise's boyfriend, Rick."

"Louise had a boyfriend?" Aaron inquired to which both female nodded. "Huh, she never told me."

"We didn't meet him until he started appearing last week," the younger of the two said. "And quite frankly, I wished Louise never dated him."

"Why?" the humanoid asked fearfully. "Is he a bully? Has he hurt Louise or anybody else?"

"In a way," the Brazilian chlorophonia said slowly. "Rick was discovered to have been…stealing from some of us here at the market."

"What?!" the young Kree shouted in shock, startling his two companions.

"It began last week," Carla continued. "The Tea for You stand workers discovered they were a few bucks short but they thought they just miscounted. Then a day or two later, three other stands, the Bee's Knees Honey stand, the Flour Hour stand, and the Bubble Trouble stand, claimed to be missing money."

"The stand owners were all furious. It was awful," the young bluebird whispered, rubbing her arms. "They started doing background checks on all their employees and started keeping sharp eyes on the customers, even the ones they knew for years."

"Was anyone fired?" Aaron probed with a sinking feeling.

"You know Micah from the Nut So Every Day stand?" Carla asked, waiting for the humanoid to nod. "Don't be surprised if you don't see him there. Ever again."

"You're kidding," the auburn-haired young man whispered in horror, his thoughts drifting to the canine anthro with the cocoa fur and bleach blonde mop. "They actually fired Micah? He's one of the nicest guys around!"

"He actually quit because he had done community service for knocking over mail boxes when he was in middle school. That's all!" Tess murmured. "But he believed nobody would give him a chance to prove he wasn't guilty and hadn't stolen anything so he decided to leave."

"A few days later, which was two days before the whole Sun incident, Rick was caught taking money from the Soup's On stand," the oldest of the trio went on. "Luckily, there was an off-duty officer there. That's when everyone realized the truth. All the owners connected the dots and realized the days that something went missing, Rick was there to "visit" Louise."

"But why leave? It wasn't her fault," Aaron protested.

"She thought so. And, unfortunately, so did some of the people from the stands Rick stole from," the youngest of the two anthros present went on. "He also stole adult beverages and tools to make them from the BBQ Hunk, the Right on Thyme, and the Wine Til You Drop. We even found out he had been stealing from more than just the stands we mentioned. Including ours."

"Poor Louise was so ashamed, that she dumped him in front of everyone and she's currently at her parents' house right now while some of her friends are going to transport her stuff for her in a couple of days," Carla finished sadly. "I'm not sure if we should be telling you this but rumor has it that Rosie Daniels, the woman who owns the Piece of Cake stand, is thinking of pressing charges. It's mostly because Rick kept trying to hit on her youngest daughter, who is a minor I might add."

"The owners of the Cherry Up stand are filing a restraining order against Rick because he shoved one of their pregnant employees when he got caught," Tess added.

"But why is your friend angry? Did this Rick's theft hurt you all that badly?" Penumbra asked.

"Mo is mostly angry because she and Micah have been flirting for a bit and she was going to ask him out but he left before she could," the young bluebird cringed. "She's gonna be angry at Louise for a long time after what happened with Micah."

"Well, is he coming back?" Lunaris asked. "I mean, if he hears that the real person has been caught, he can return."

"He already got a new job at the Sight for Sore Rye sandwich shop," the older female avian said. "He also has two other jobs. One at the Italian-American restaurant near the Silverbeak district and one at the new book and chocolate shop, Confections and Covers."

"It wasn't like he had a choice. He needs all the cash he can get," the younger bird anthro piped up. "He has twin kid sisters at home and his mom can't work until she's out of physical therapy. He's had to be the man of the house since his dad died. Mo told us."

"Did anyone tell the police before-hand about all of this?" Aaron probed.

Carla shook her head, "It's a community thing. Everyone is very acquainted with each other. The owners wanted to handle things themselves unless we really needed the police."

"We would have told you, or Gizmoduck if we saw him, but there was the whole incident at the Duckburg charity event and then the whole Solenestrite thing happened," Tess put in. "We didn't want to bother you with something that seemed so small compared to what you were handling. Then yesterday happened."

"You mean the car chase?" the auburn-haired young man asked flabbergasted. "I would think that chasing down some speed demon thugs is just as important as reporting a serial theft."

"It's who the speed demons were," Carla went on. "It was Rick and his pals. Rick's estranged from his family but he still has contacts with the family lawyer. After he got out, Rick and his friends tried to leave town with the money they stole. So, in a way, you did help us eventually."

Aaron could only gape in silence for what felt like eons before suddenly asking, "Which one was Rick?"

"You couldn't have missed him," the Brazilian chlorophonia sniffed. "He has blond hair and looks like some cheesy, carefree surfer boy from a 50s movie."

The young Kree went rigged, his hand unconsciously coming up and touching the side of his face where the hubcap had struck him yesterday, and the two Moonlanders gasped just as Della appeared, "Hey guys! I was coming back from grabbing some sharp cheddar when I saw the Loco Cocoa and found they had a few chocolate-covered caramels left! You want some Penny?"

Upon seeing their shock and dismayed faces, the determined female duck felt her happy expression diminish as she asked tentatively, "Did I miss something?"

Meanwhile at the petting zoo, which was coincidentally located in the center of the market so that none of the kids were ever out of any adults' sights, the four ducklings of the manor were all having a pleasant time, a contrast to their usually hectic lives. Webby was feeding a pony a carrot (though the boys did have to keep her from jumping onto its back and riding it like she was Joan of Lark). Huey and Dewey were feeding the goats and even Louie, who was the most stand-offish of his brothers, had put his nonchalant attitude and was calmly petting a few rabbits.

"It's kind of weird, isn't it?" Louie suddenly piped up out of the blue.

"What is?" Webby asked as she petted the pony's nose.

"Mom told us how some of the Moonlanders, like that Penumbra chick, were hesitant about talking about the Earth," the green-clothed triplet went on. "But those two are so eager to learn when Aaron is around, even Miss Stubborn."

"Yeah, I've seen her do that too! Especially yesterday at the Cabreras' house," Webby added as she seemed to mulled this over in her mind before her eyes widened and she gasped. "Do you think she likes him?"

"I don't know. Huey, what do you think?" the youngest of the brother inquired.

"I think they just prefer learning about Earth through someone who is also non-Terran," the eldest of the brothers said logically before his eyes fell on his blue-clothed counterpart. "Dewey, cut that out!"

The duckling in question was currently tip-toeing behind a young male goat, a mischievous but non-malicious smile splayed on his beak as he got his phone ready, intent on frightening the goat despite the red-clothed ducking's order. Without any warning for the goat, Dewey clapped his hands loudly and let out a loud "hah!" However, the reaction was not the one he was aiming for or one he was expecting to get. The goat jolted forward with surprise before snorting in annoyance and rearing one back leg which he then thrusted towards the middle brother. Dewey yelped more so from surprise than any actual pain (he had been hit with worse) as he had a short flight that ended with him stuck in a plastic bucket meant for feeding pellets, rear first.

After shaking off the shock while his brothers and friend circled around him nervously, the middle brother said in an embarrassed voice, "Okay, so not a fainting goat."

The three ducklings proceeded to try to get Dewey out of the bucket, to no avail, as they heard the Duck matriarch call out, "Kids, we're ready!"

At that moment, the four adults were arriving at the petting zoo section, Della and Aaron carrying bags, when they spotted the sight of the quartet of young adventurers which caused the young Kree to ask with surprise, "What happened here?"

"Dewey was antagonizing one of the goats," the red-clothed triplet huffed as he held onto his younger brother's right arm.

"I thought it was a fainting goat! I wanted to make a video!" the blue-clothed triplet protested.

"You're lucky that it wasn't a knock-you-out goat!" the green-clothed triplet griped as he grabbed Dewey's left arm.

The bubble-gum clothed duckling gave a few more tugs of her friend's right foot before sighing, "He's stuck pretty good!"

"Okay, hold on," the auburn-haired young man soothed, seeing the look of alarm coming onto the determined female duck's face, while he transferred the bags on his right to left hand.

The Moonlanders watched as Starcaster proceeded to lean over the fence and quickly grabbed each duckling by the scruff of their clothing without hurting them and placed them on the ground outside the petting zoo. However, he quickly switched his grip on Dewey so he was now grasping the rim of the bucket that the duckling was stuck in. He only needed to lower the bucket to Della's level for her to grasp what he was doing. Handing her bags to her eldest son, the aircraft-loving anthro proceeded to grab her middle son's hands before she began to pull, Aaron pulling the bucket towards him. In less than ten seconds, Dewey was free.

"You're free!" the mother of triplets cheered as she the blue-clothed duckling close while the young Kree ruffled the little one's head.

"Aww, how cute!" a female canine with pale peach skin and pale blond hair cooed to her friend as they passed by the group. "That reminds me of how my uncle met his wife and step kids. They wouldn't stop flirting until they traded numbers."

While no one else in the group paid attention, distracted by the success of the freed duckling, both Penumbra and Lunaris's eye dilated as their mouth dropped, everything screeching to a stop in their minds.

Aaron and Della…possible mates? Just because he was acting like a parent to the four children of the manor? What nerve for such an idea to be implied! Yes, they witnessed how the auburn-haired young man was fond of the four Earth youths, expressing his care in his actions and words. Such gentleness from a skilled warrior like Aaron was shocking but also impossible to dislike. Also, in spite of the age difference, both were clearly equal in their health and attraction. And perhaps the mother of triplets and the humanoid were hitting off rather nicely. In fact, now the two were looking at each other, smiling with their eyes locked softly and…oh.

_Oh, Abyss no! _Penumbra hissed in her mind as she looked at her superior officer and saw a similar expression on his face.

Lunaris reached up to touch the green and gold clasp on his chest which was separating his hand from the area just above his heart. Suddenly, he felt it very difficult to breathe normally, like a cold pocket of air had frozen his throat solid, blocking his airways and strangling his lungs. Aaron seemed so content to be included in such a familial moment. What wouldn't the Moon General give to be a part of such a situation. Especially if the young Kree was there too.

_But why? _the Moon leader thought in confusion and longing.

Penumbra, having had enough of the scene, which was also making her feel things she rather not like her fellow lunar protector, quickly looked around for something to break up whatever it was. Spying Louie glance at a small pig child who was munching on some popcorn, and remembering the incident that morning, an idea popped up. She scooped up the youngest, who let out a yelp of surprise, before strutting over and jutting him in between the two.

"Your offspring is famished," the Moon warrioress proclaimed bluntly, but if you listened closer, there was a hint of concealed desperation, as if she was hoping that both Della and Aaron would believe her.

"Huh?" the determined female duck said startled as her youngest was suddenly shoved before her, her arms still full of his brother.

"Your youngest requires nourishment," the Moon Lieutenant repeated again with the same tone before pushing him into his mother's arms alongside his brother before adding. "All the children do."

Still blinking in confusion at the female Moonlander's behavior, Aaron pulled out his phone to check the time, saying, "Well, it's getting close to Noon. I think some lunch is in order. What do you guys say?"

"Yeah!" all four ducklings nodded eagerly as the lone adult laughed and nodded as well in agreement alongside the two Moon guardians who looked relieved.

"Okay, what do you guys want to eat from?" the humanoid asked.

As if the invisible embodiment of coincidence whispered in her unseen ears, Webby prompted, "How about Sight for Sore Rye?"

"That sounds good!" the mother of triplets added as the three brothers nodded.

"Sounds good!" Aaron agreed, getting the inquisitive attention of the Penumbra and Lunaris, the latter looking at him with a 'what are you up to' expression. "Tell me what you guys want and I'll head over there."

"Sounds like a plan," the determined female duck said with a grin as she took the bags from Starcaster while Huey divided the bags amongst his brothers and friend to carry. "Lunaris can go with you and Penumbra and I can get the kids in the car and drive over there to come get you."

Upon Aaron agreeing, both Moonlanders adopted expressions of excitement and apprehension, gold blushes only worsening them.

* * *

"Okay, so that's one caprese pesto sub, one Reuben on rye, one apple bacon cheddar panini, one French dip, one croque monsieur, one monte cristo, one peanut butter banana bacon panini, and one chicken salad and brie on a croissant. And there's six orders of BBQ spiced curly fries, one order of sea salt waffle fries, one order of creamy chicken tomato soup, and eight Peps. And then there's two chocolate raspberry brownies, two slices of carrot cake, two triple chocolate chunk cookies, one salted caramel toffee blondie, and one rocky road cookie bar," the cashier, who was a male Scarlet Macaw, who's name tag read Diego, said as he entered the orders. "Is that everything?"

"Yes," Aaron nodded as he began to hand some money to pay, disappointed that the person he was hoping to see wasn't currently there, but was startled when the cashier quickly shook his head and gently pushed the humanoid's hand back.

"That won't be necessary," the Macaw shook his head with a soft smile. "I think, considering how large the order is, you deserve a hero's discount."

"Oh, I couldn't do that," the young Kree tried to protest. "Besides, I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Please, I think I would get in trouble if I _did _charge you," the cashier insisted. "Plus, I owe you for what you did for my family."

"I helped your family?" the humanoid said startled before quickly saying in an apologetic tone. "Sorry, I don't really keep track of the people I save."

"I have a brother who lives in Italy with his wife and kids," the Diego continued. "You and your plug friend saved their lives when you got that creature away from the city. And maybe this isn't the way I thought I would thank you, but I ask that you accept it."

Seeing no way out of this, and sensing how the male Moonlander, who had been walking around the shop in curiosity, was watching with intrigue and nervousness of what would happen next, the auburn-haired young man finally obliged, "Alright, I accept. But at least let me give you a tip."

With that, he put a twenty-dollar bill in the tip jar which made Diego smile, "Thank you. Your order will be ready shortly."

Nodding Aaron turned his attention to the Moon General but nearly knocked his faceplanted himself into the larger male due to Lunaris standing so close behind. Realizing the proximity, Lunaris quickly took a step back where he almost backed into a young female canine with short scarlet hair who was sipping her fountain drink.

"Sorry ma'am," the Moon leader said as the female anthro shot him a dirty look, but waved flirtatiously at Aaron, before turning his attention back to his friend. "The people of this city adore you as much as my people adored Penumbra, Della, and myself."

"Yes," came Aaron's quick, simple, and soft reply.

Blinking in surprise and concern, the mint-colored soldier spoke again, "You don't seem very happy. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," the young Kree insisted.

"You possess many traits, Aaron," the male Moonlander went on. "Lying isn't one of them."

Aaron's eyes widened before sighing in defeat, "Lunaris, I'm suppose to be a hero. Someone everyone should be able to depend on for help. Those people at the market thought that what was going on wasn't important compared to everything else. They thought it wouldn't be important enough for me to choose to help them. It made me feel like…I was failing them. For crying out loud, I was there last week. Heck, I've been going there since I entered this world. I should have known something was wrong."

Lunaris felt a pang in his heart for Aaron, making him think back to when he first became General. Despite missing his father, he was more than willing and ready serve his city and his people. However, in the first year of him being General, he felt himself grow a bit tense whenever he felt something was amiss or someone came to him to report a problem, both fearing that he would either fail in addressing the issue or worsen it. Truly, being a leader and protector of Tranquility was tasking but, in a way, rewarding. To hear how the young Kree who saved his home was feeling as if he was losing his ability to help to those he swore to protect was painful.

The Moon leader proceeded to lay a hand on Aaron's shoulder before saying softly, "We don't always get to fight all the battles that we feel we need to. But we do get to fight the ones that need our attention the most."

The auburn-haired young man's soft blue eyes turned to stare into Lunaris's own teal ones before he smiled gratefully. Seeing that smile made the mint-colored soldier beam himself as he continued to have his hand on the suit-covered shoulder of the younger male. In fact, the touch alone was sending weird but pleasant sensations through their bodies. While unfamiliar to the male Moonlander, Aaron had not felt such things for many years.

They were both jolted out of their bubble when the bell rang and another employee, a female parrot anthro said, "Order for Starcaster!"

Turning to the pick-up counter, Aaron was about to grab the bags when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. In the reflection of the dessert case, which was located near the pick-up counter, he saw someone dressed in a hat, sunglasses, and large dark violet jacket staring through the shop window. Despite the clothing, he saw tell-tale signs of a familiar face, warm brown feathers, and dark mocha hair.

"Zan?" he whispered as he twisted around to look at the window only to find…nothing.

"Aaron? Is something wrong?" Lunaris asked as he saw the expression of surprise and hope on his friend's face change to confusion and dejection. "Did you see something?"

"I'm fine, Lunaris," the young Kree reassured. "Just…thought I saw a friend."

Lunaris blinked in confusion but he did not say another word as they left.

* * *

And here's chapter 4! And yes, I'm still continuing this fanfic! Like I said before, it's an AU with OOCness! Meaning, Lunaris is not evil in my fics. And, personally, I don't think the canon Lunaris makes sense. I mean, when did Moonlanders develop the technology to make contact and spy on the Earth, then why was Meridian so afraid? He must have seen there were good people on Earth. Why didn't he see that Scrooge was an honorable explorer? Couldn't Lunaris use the listening device to see that there were good people as well? I mean, I guess that he was probably thinking that if Scrooge or Glomgold, namely Glomgold, found out about Tranquility, it would have led to other corrupted people on Earth plundering the Moon for resources (not by Scrooge but by his enemies) and slaves. If that's so, he was in the right to be afraid but wouldn't he have trained more warriors from the very beginning?

I'm not saying that the canon Lunaris's choices are justified but I just have some questions. It's just my opinions. I will say he's still attractive with or without hair (I'm having my AU Luanris have hair). And before anyone judges me, let me remind you that some of you are pairing equally, canonically evil people (Beaks, Graves, Magica, and Glomgold) with good characters.

Now that that's been said, I hope all of you enjoy this reading. Any comments that go past being fairly critical will be dismissed. Enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5: Lessons in Sparring

Chapter 5: Lessons of Sparring

"What are we doing back here?" Penumbra asked as Launchpad pulled the limo in front of the S.H.U.S.H. building they had left barely three days ago, her voice notably filled with surprise, suspicion, and worry.

Despite June being just around the corner, that morning had been cool and the sky a light misty gray with clouds. After driving for nearly half an hour, both lilac-colored soldier and mint-colored soldier found that they were at the same building they had been kept in upon their arrival. Beside them were Della, Beakley, Scrooge, the triplets, and Webby, the four ducklings gaping in wonder and excitement at the building.

From where he sat from across the two Moonlanders, Scrooge looked at them with a hard expression before saying in a firm voice, "You two need to get out of the mansion and do something recreational with your time. I know you're both missing home and your people, but you need to find ways to keep yourselves busy and sharpen your skills. No one ever stayed on top by moping around."

Before the Moon warrioress could rebuke, Lunaris spoke up, "That does make sense."

"General!" the lilac-colored soldier protested in shock and outrage but was quickly given a reprimanding look.

"Being on Earth does not change the fact that we are still warriors. I miss Tranquility as much as you do but we cannot merely shut ourselves in and do nothing while we're here," the mint-colored soldier said firmly but managed a gentle, small smile.

"Oh, c'mon Penny! Think of it like your clubhouse for you guys and the other three!" the Duck matriarch encouraged with a wider grin.

Seeing that the Moon Lieutenant was not yet soothed, Webby jumped in, "I know you guys did not have a good introduction to the base but you can change that. Flurry is making this base for all of you! In fact, Aaron is here."

That certainly got the two to perk up as the Moon General inquired curiously and eagerly, "He is?"

"Yeah, he texted us this morning!" the female duckling smiled while nodding before she added. "You know, we could get you guys phones if you want."

Della quickly jumped in, "That's a great idea! That way you guys can explore the city by yourself and you can call us if you need something!"

"Thank you but we already have a form of communication," female Moonlander replied curtly and proudly as she could before pressing on the green decal on her chest and spoke. "General."

Everyone, mainly Della, Launchpad, and the kids, gasped as Lunaris's own decal glowed red before he humbly pressed it and responded, "Yes, Lieutenant."

"Those are communication devices?!" Della exclaimed. "I thought they were just for decoration! Man, you guys still surprise me!"

"That's so cool!" Dewey said, nodding with just as much surprise and excitement as his mother.

"It is impressive," Huey put in. "But a phone could still be useful though. It'll let you contact those outside your communication link."

"Wait! If you guys have that, can't you call your Moon friends and ask them to come get you?" Louie inquired with confusion.

"Believe me, it's the first thing we tried when we realized we were stuck here," the Moon Lieutenant replied coolly. "But we're out of range."

"And even if we could reach them, they have no way of coming to us," the Moon leader added. "While your mother did teach us much about ship-building, we are still new to it. And I'm positive that Obscurin and Ephemeris have the whole city on lock down."

As they all got out of the car, the eldest duck spoke, "Mrs. Beakley and I will call Flurry later. We'll be sure to try and find a way for you two to contact your comrades."

"For now, relax," the mother of triplets chirped. "We'll figure things out. Just pretend like this is an upgrade in your vacation."

"Swell," Penumbra muttered.

"I'm sure Curin and Ephe are handling things well," the determined female duck threw in.

"Obscurin and Ephemeris," the Moon warrioress corrected sternly, feeling annoyance at the names.

She was the only one who got to be called obnoxious names by-Wait, no! That wasn't right!

_This planet is doing something to my head_, she thought grouchily.

* * *

"And here is the lab layout," Aaron said as he held up the tablet to face the almost finished lab of the base. "What do you think?"

"It looks great!" Teri breathed with a smile as he took in the lab from behind the tablet screen. "They really outdid themselves, didn't they?"

"They most certainly did!" Gyro happily announced as he began investigating the surroundings, having arrived with Aaron.

It was strange but humorous to watch the normally composed but quick-to-annoy head scientist act like a child in a candy store but he wasn't about to stop the scene. While his brother was fetching some spare tools, equipment, and inventions from the lab, the humanoid had volunteered to bring the male rooster to the base so he can have a look at the lab. Along with his brother's boss and mentor, the young Kree decided to take his tablet to show the young male robot around as well, since he too would be sharing the lab space. Since the Solenestrite event, Teri had returned to help the agents clean up the files and get things back in order before he could move to the base.

"Gyro, I hope you don't bring too much stuff. You got a new lab partner to think about who also needs space to work," the young auburn-haired man gently reminded the older male anthro.

"Looking forward to working beside you in person, Gyro," the Plug-Head said with a smile.

"Words can't describe how eager I am to begin working! With you! Here!" the irritable genius said with bright smile as he turned from checking the cabinet space to face both younger males.

"Just remember to come down and get a snack once in a while," Aaron laughed.

"I can concur," a male Russian-accented chipped in.

They turned to see a male canine anthro with dark brown hair, slightly tanned skin, glasses, and a doctor's coat enter the lab. In his arms was Nutmeg, who seemed very content, and on his shoulder was Lil Bulb, who's filaments were arched at the cat, almost as if glaring at her.

"Ah, Dr. Sokolov," Gyro said politely as he walked over to stand at Aaron and Teri's sides. "I hope Lil Bulb and Nutmeg behaved themselves."

"Well, other than Nutmeg trying to chase Lil Bulb like he was a laser pointer dot, everything went fine," the doctor rest assured. "And I must insist that you call me Alexei."

All three, well five if you count the female Flerken and bulb-based bot, met Alexei that morning when they arrived at the base. It was revealed that Flurry had asked him to serve as the on-call doctor for anyone at the base, be it a visitor, agent, or hero. Not only was Dr. Sokolov a well-off and generous man of medicine but he owed a great deal to S.H.U.S.H. after they had helped him and his family during one of F.O.W.L.'s attempts to hold a hospital hostage several years ago. He was currently there to assess the medical bay, similar to how Gyro and Aaron were there to examine their space as well.

"Oh, and this fluffy little storage unit coughed up another surprise," the man of medicine laughed. "Almost scared me out of the window."

"What was it?" the young Kree asked curiously.

"A large enclosed container slightly larger than a refrigerator," Sokolov explained as he gently placed both female Flerken and bulb bot on the table he stood beside. "It had some strange writing and green symbol on it. Sound familiar?"

"I'll take a look at it," Aaron said as he stroked Nutmeg's fur, earning him a purr, just as the door to the lab swing to reveal the group who just arrived.

The kids once again ran to greet Aaron who gladly kneeled to hug Webby and ruffle the boys' head feathers/hair, while saying humorously, "Hey guys! Welcome to Hero HQ! What do you think?"

"Awesome!" all four announced excitedly.

Looking up, blue eyes locked with surprise as he saw teal and wisteria orbs gazing back down on him, not with malice but with a warm curiosity. Just a few steps behind them were the four adult ducks of the manor, watching with softer, knowing looks. He gave them greeting smiles before he saw, out of the corner of his eye, the three other occupants of the room looking on curiously and hesitantly, the latter most prominent in Gyro's case.

"Where are my manners? Everyone, meet Dr. Alexei Sokolov and Chispero," the young Kree introduced as he rejoined Sokolov's side while picking up the tablet. "Most of you may know him as Teri. Alexei will be helping out in the medical bay and Teri will be joining us here at the base in the coming weeks."

"It's incredible to meet you two," Sokolov said as he politely strode up to them and offer his hand while offering them a friendly smile. "I look forward to being at your service. While I'm far from the medic you two must be used to, I am prepared to assist you in any way I can."

"Well, thank you for your willingness to offer us medical aid while we're here," Lunaris nodded as he shook the offered hand while Penumbra just offer a tight, professional nod as she too shook his hand.

She did not speak until she turned her attention to the Plug Head on the tablet, "So, you're the one who made the device who brought us here to Earth."

Teri visibly winced before saying in a sincerely apologetic tone, "Yes. And I'm sorry it caused you guys to be taken away from your planet."

At hearing her home being referred to as a planet, as opposed to Della's self-confident contradictions, the Moon Lieutenant seemed to relax a bit as she replied, "Well, at least we're somewhere where we can find transportation back to the Moon. We're not going to be stuck on this planet for nearly over a decade like Della was."

She ignored the way that the Moon General gave her a slight glance out of the corner of her eye as the mother of triplets popped up and said, "So this is the famous Chispero! Or do you prefer Teri?"

"Either is fine," the former lead engineer said with a smile. "You must be the one and only Della Duck. You're just as lovely as your pictures. Heck, you haven't aged a bit."

"Oh, stop!" the mother of triplets laughed, blushing a bit.

Aaron chuckled a bit before he noticed Gyro and Penumbra in some sort of stare-down. The Moon Lieutenant watched him like tigress making sure a scavenger didn't try to steal her kill. Meanwhile, the head scientist appeared to be taking her in, the way a squirrel would take in the wonders of a candy shop that specialized in nutty sweets. Fearing a brawl, Aaron went to intercept their little stand-off when he felt a strong but gentle hand grip his shoulder and turn him around. He once again met the dark and noble teal eyes of the Moon General who appeared to be eyeing him with curiosity and concern.

"Are you alright, Aaron?" Lunaris inquired politely. "How are you handling the…free time?"

Little did the young Kree know that Lunaris had been worrying since the day before when it began. He still couldn't fathom how anyone would do something as unreasonable as force another to temporarily leave their occupation for things beyond their control. And yet, there was another, guilty part of him that felt, dare he say, relieved that there was one less place for Aaron's enemies to target them at. There was even a strange hopeful feeling that the armored humanoid's free time would mean that he would spend more time with him and Penumbra.

"Oh, it's fine. I'm good," Aaron reassured him, smiling in a cool and friendly manner.

"Liar," Teri piped up half-playfully, half-seriously from the video feed.

"Teri, please," came the tired objection but the Plug-Head refused to heed as Aaron picked up the tablet and cyan orbs locked onto the young auburn-haired man's pale blue ones.

"Aaron, you came into the new training room and you tore through eight punching bags like they were Styrofoam packing peanuts," the former lead engineer said firmly. "Under half an hour."

"He did?!" came the surprised exclamation from the Della, Launchpad, the kids, and the Moon soldiers themselves.

"Oh, yes! And I have the recordings to prove it," the young male robot said in a proud tone with a smile to match. "Flurry allows me access to the HQ's camera system."

"Teri, don't you d-!" the young Kree warned but was too late as the screen change to show a video recording of him maiming his first, sand-filled victim.

He couldn't even stop Penumbra from taking the tablet out of his hands and holding it towards her and her superior. Surprisingly, the lilac-colored soldier didn't seem to mind as the kids and two pilots squeezed in to also watch the video. Mouths dropped open as they saw Aaron thrashing the punching bags with ferocity but not without an organized and coordinated style. Meanwhile, the video's star was rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, his cheeks glowing blue with Kree blood. It was strange as he was certain, or at least he thought so, that he would not have been as embarrassed if it was just the two adult ducks and four ducklings looking at the video. But for Penumbra and Lunaris to watch it with such focus made him feel proud and nervous.

Once it ended, Penumbra was the first to speak as she stared at him with wide wisteria orbs, "That's incredible. You did all that?"

The young Kree nodded humbly, "Yeah."

"Where did you learn all these moves?" the Moon warrioress asked intently.

"Most are from Mar-Vell," the armored humanoid said nodding, blush still stuck to his face like a stubborn, wayward flower blown by the wind.

"Would you be willing to share these moves with us?" Lunaris jumped in, barely able to withhold his eagerness as his heart thumped wildly once more.

Before the young auburn-haired man could even speak, Teri spoke up as the screen turned back into a live transmission of him, "That's not a bad idea. Aaron, you need to find ways to keep busy and sparring is one of your activities. And Lunaris and Penumbra need to stay on top while they're here, so training with you is definitely a yes."

Aaron turned from the tablet to the two Moon guardians and said in a gentle voice, "I'm up for sparring but only if that's what you two really want to do with me."

"I assure you, we most certainly would like to spar with you," the Moon General said firmly, gloved hand touching the other's arm. "Right now, even. That is, if you're up for it?"

Without hesitation, Aaron smiled, "Why not?"

As soon as those words were said, Dewey began shouting eagerly, "We're gonna watch alien sparring!"

* * *

Dewey whined as the doors to the sparring room shut with him on the outside, leaving the two Moonlanders alone in the room to stretch. While the children were to remain in the other room with the adults, the Moonlanders would be sparring with Aaron. Of course, Aaron had pardoned himself so he could go get ready before sparring. They weren't sure what he meant by that but they did not care to question it.

"Did you see how quick and sharp his strikes were in that video?" Penumbra asked her fellow Moon protector.

"Aaron did tell us that his mother was a soldier of his planet," the Lunaris stated. "He has warrior blood to go with that training."

"Just like us," the Moon Lieutenant nodded.

Like the mint-colored soldier, the female Moonlander was of warrior and military lineage which eventually led to her training and then rising into the status of Lieutenant. Meridian was a kind General but made both his son and the lilac-colored soldier work hard to get into their roles. Their thoughts were interrupted as the other door of the training room opened were surprised to see their sparring partner. Or rather his new attire. The armor was gone and replaced with what Earthers would call comfy clothes. He wore a short-sleeved with a black and blue design and pants to match. His arms and feet were bare of any articles.

"I'm here," the young Kree announced with a small smile. "Hope you don't mind the change. This is just what I always wear to spar. Surprised the old thing still fits."

_Fits damn well_, the Moon leader thought dreamily as he failed to hold back a blush.

Despite her initial surprise, Penumbra was quick to nod and say, "Let's get started."

"First question, would you two prefer one-on-one or two-against-one," the armored humanoid asked. "I'm okay with either."

"As much as we would like to see you take on more than one opponent again, we'll settle for one on one each," Penumbra declared before getting into her stance. "Starting now."

Lunaris seemed to snap out of his mesmerized dazed as he stared at Penumbra in surprise, "Actually, I was hoping to go first."

His second-in-command whirled around and stared at him as though he just confessed to having done something he lied about in their youth. The stare then turned into one reminiscent of a puppy who refused to release a toy to their litter mate. Her superior seemed surprised by her reaction before choosing to return the look. Aaron was startled but refused to stand there and do nothing.

"Okay, look," he said while coming in between them. "Let's do a coin toss."

"A what?" both said simultaneously with curious and confused tones.

"A coin toss," Aaron stated as he pulled out the Sun and Moon coin to show them. "Each of you pick one of the coin's sides and I toss it into the air. Whichever side faces up is the winner. I won't lie, it's not one of Earth's most legit form of decision-making, but it's the quickest."

The Moon warrioress seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding and saying confidently, "Moon."

"Sun," Lunaris nodded, not seeming at all upset that he hadn't gotten to choose the Moon.

With a flick of his wrist, the auburn-haired young man sent the coin flying into the air, practically almost levitating it for a moment, before it hit the ground with a small _clink! _It spun for barely more than five seconds before falling over to show the crafted Sun side. As predicted, the lilac-colored soldier let out an annoyed growl whilst her mint-colored counterpart grinned victoriously. Stomping to side like a huffy teenager, she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms as she watched them with a hard look.

Getting into position, Aaron sharpened his gaze as he locked eyes with Lunaris, murmuring coolly, "Okay, let's do this. Thirty minutes for you and thirty for Penumbra."

Preparing his own stance, Lunaris nodded and waited for the other to strike. The young Kree tensed for a moment before darting forward. The slightly older male was prepared to grab his younger counterpart but was surprised by Aaron's fake out which came in the form of dodging to the other side and swiftly kicking the Moon leader in said side. The controlled force of the kick, along with the Moonlander's muscles, made the kick not as painful but it did cause the taller of the two to almost teeter over. Something he was embarrassed about.

"I, er, was not fully ready," Lunaris stumbled over his words, shooting an annoyed look when he heard Penumbra snicker while having no idea what was going on.

"That's why we're sparring. To help you stay on top," the armored humanoid nodded nonchalantly.

This time, it was the Moon General who came at Aaron, who ducked again before grabbing a hold of the mint-colored soldier's cape and yanked him back, not enough to hurt or choke him but enough to send him to the ground on his rear. The male Moon Guardian stared up at him in disbelief, not seeming to fully understand how this was possible.

"As much as I think you look good in that cape, you should be careful when fighting with it on," the young auburn-haired man said knowingly as he offered his hand to the other. "Combine Earth's gravity and wind, any enemies that you encounter on Earth will use that against you. That's why you have to use it to your own advantage, alright?"

The Moon leader only nodded as he took the hand…before pulling the other forward to knee him in the abdomen. The young Kree felt his breath escape him as he fell back and Lunaris rose up with triumphant smirk. Neither knew that the other had gotten a surge of excitement from contact with the other's body or how they were feeling quite breath-taken as they took in one another's forms from their current positions. The armored humanoid was the first to regain his composure as he used his legs to swipe the mint-colored ones out from under their owner who was quick to catch himself on his hands and knees and push himself up while his opponent also got up.

"It'll take more than that to make a General of the Moon submit," Lunaris stated with a confident grin.

"We'll see," the young Kree smirked.

For the next several minutes, the two blocked and delivered blows; uppercuts, roundhouses, gut punches, knees to the chest, hits to the back. Even as beads of sweat began to collect on both bodies, neither was letting up. More than once, both ended up rolling on the ground, bodies meshed as they rolled around on the floor, most of which was thankfully padded. During one of those rolls, Lunaris found himself pinned by the strong young male and was struggling to get free. However, some part of him wanted to relinquish all dominance and control to Aaron whose glistening muscles rippled under the Kree training outfit which was composed of some incredibly silky but sturdy material. As their arms grappled, one of the Moon General's gloved hands pushed up the sleeve covering the upper right arm of the other and felt everything around him go still as he caught sight of the Moon-shaped scar. It didn't last long as a flash of gold and lilac darted over and tackled Aaron off the Moon leader.

"Lieutenant!" the male Moon guardian snapped in protest as he sat up to see his second-in-command trying to get the young Kree in a headlock.

"Your thirty minutes is up!" the female Moon guardian shouted back as she fought against Aaron's attempt to pin her.

"Lunaris, it's okay," the young auburn-haired man said reassuringly. "You did great! Go into the break room and treat yourself to something. We got a juicer installed."

The Moon General knew it was no use arguing as he watched Penumbra and Aaron become fully focused on each other. Despite being new to Earth, he knew, via the digital clock, that his turn was up. However, he couldn't help but feel like a child whose crush's attention was unreasonably ripped away from him. With a heavy sigh, he trudged out of the room, already missing the feel of the young Kree against him.

Perhaps he would treat himself to this "juicer".

* * *

As it turns out, the juicer was indeed a good choice. Granted, it took a few tries (actually several, counting the times when he spilled the juice on the floor or made a concoction that made Della's black licorice gum taste like chocolate) before he succeeded, thanks to the Earther and four kids. Launchpad, Scrooge, and Beakley were in other sections of the building, leaving the mother and children in the break room. He also noticed how the children had different approaches to the problem while the adult female cleaned the mess. Huey had offered to walk the Moon leader through it, Webby offered to just make Lunaris a drink, Dewey offered some of his own at-the-time untouched beverage, and Louie had suggested getting a refreshment from the fridge. No doubt, each child, excluding the female duckling, possessed a specific behavioral trait passed down to them from their mother.

Lunaris was barely half-way done with his berry-peach juice when Penumbra and Aaron reappeared from the training room. He almost spit out his drink on the table that he was sharing with Della and the kids when he saw Penumbra. Like Aaron, she was sweaty and flushed, just as he had been, but the top of her helmet and gloves were missing as well as her uniform top, leaving her in her under blouse which was a cross between an Earth training bra and tank top.

The two walked to the fridge where the young Kree pulled out a can of cherry-flavored Fizze and a chocolate protein drink, the latter he handed to Penumbra who eagerly opened and gulped the down the sweet contents. Aaron copied her, but Lunaris noticed that a few drops got free of Aaron's drink, sliding down his chin, neck, and then down into his sparring shirt. His mind was instantly besieged as ideas of licking the drink off the young Kree's skin. Tongue sliding up that firm but slender neck before reaching those delightful lips…

Lunaris didn't even realize he was staring until Louie spoke up, "Dude? Mr. General? You okay?"

Lunaris finally shook himself of his trance as he quickly responded, "Yes. I was just…thinking."

"I didn't know you guys had hair under those helmets!" Dewey said, in surprise, having been watching the two who just exited the sparring room.

"Dewey!" Huey hissed as he scolded his blue-clothed counterpart, elbowing him a little which caused the adventurous triplet to glare at his older brother.

"Of course, we do," the Moon warrioress muttered petulantly with a roll of her eyes, licking off the last drops of her drink.

"And it they make it look good too!" Della jumped in, smiling brightly at the lilac-colored soldier before asking. "By the way, Penny, what happened to your uniform?"

Unlike Lunaris, Della had reacted to the two aliens exiting the training quarters by focusing on her kids, trying to ignore the sight of a practically half-naked Penumbra. Forced herself to look anywhere except at the Moon Lieutenant's prone form. Avoiding the sight of her roomie's heaving, sweaty breasts. Fighting back the urge to-

"She took the advice I gave to Lunaris in regards to being careful with letting clothing become your opponent's advantage and ditched anything she was certain I could use against her," Aaron stated with a casual smile as Penumbra reopened the fridge and grabbed a chocolate milk and a bottle of fresh blueberry juice, the latter she handed over to her friend before both went to sit down with the six other occupants.

"So, did you three all have fun sparring?" Webby spoke up with an excited grin.

"You don't have _fun _while sparring," Penumbra said logically, hesitating for a minute, before adding. "But I have to admit that I look forward to more exhilarating training sessions with Moonshield."

"As do I," the mint-colored soldier jumped in, smiling at the young Kree who blushed with a humble but pleased look.

Suddenly, the middle brother piped up again, standing up in his seat and doing some kung fu moves as he did so, "Is training with Aaron different from training with other Moonlanders? Is it more difficult because of the gravity? What kind of weapons do you use? Do you guys have any cool-shaped scars from your past sparring or fights on Moon?"

"No threat on the Moon could get close enough to give us such marks," the Moon warrioress said adamantly, ignoring the other questions, before looking at the young auburn-haired man curiously. "You have scars from battle?"

"Well, some of them," the humanoid said, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.

"Like the one on his right upper arm," the bubblegum-clothed duckling nodded.

Then, before anyone could stop her, Penumbra reached out and pulled up Aaron's right sleeve and gaped at the crescent moon-shaped scar. Although having seen it before, Lunaris also found himself once again entranced by the scar that greatly reminded him of his home. He felt a flash of anger and jealousy as Penumbra stroked the scar, causing the humanoid to blush. Meanwhile, Della too felt a hot surge of displeasure, but it was due to seeing her roomie give such attention to the young auburn-haired man. True, the second-in-command would sometimes poke and prod at her, study her, and run her fingers through the Duck matriarch's white locks, but she would often pull away as quick as she began. And for all her good-humor, Della knew the lilac-colored soldier was only doing it out of cautious observation in case the Earther dare have something dangerous on her.

"How did you get this?" Penumbra finally asked, her finger tracing the scar.

"It's…not that important," Aaron said slowly, averting his eyes as the blush grew. "It was something silly."

Grinning, Dewey announced, "He got it when he was climbing a tree as kid. Just because he wanted to touch the Moon."

The young Kree looked up for a moment before looking away again once he saw the bemused and pleased looks on the two Moonlanders' faces. He did not feel the Moon Lieutenant remove her hand, but he did hear the sound of chair scraping, followed by footsteps. Suddenly, he felt a hand cup his chin and turn his head gently to see the Moon General smiling at him with a gentle look that made the humanoid feel warm all over.

"We don't think it's silly," the mint-colored soldier said in what Aaron could have sworn was a coo.

The children watched the whole scene in confusion while feeling a bit overwhelmed, as though they something that was too adult-ish for their young minds to comprehend.

"What's happening?" the sly triplet whispered to Webby.

"I don't really know," the quirky female duckling whispered, eyes never leaving the scene.

"I think I know," Huey hissed, watching with wide eyes.

However, the ethereal tension was cut short, as well as the eldest brother's thought, when the door opened and a familiar, mechanical-suited drake entered, saying, "Thought I'd never get away from Dr. Gearloose."

"Gizmoduck!" the kids shouted as they ran over to greet the techno-hero, their mother close behind.

"Hey, buddy!" the young auburn-haired man said happily, as he got up and went over to hug his brother.

Only, Gizmoduck noticed the two Moonlanders stand near the table, making no move to greet him. By the look on their faces, Fenton knew he interrupted whatever was going on. And he knew _there _was something if the two Moon guardians surrounding him and touching his arm was anything to go by.

And he knew, that based on his expression, that he was not at all sorry.

* * *

Yes, Aaron's outfit is indeed based the outfits that Carol and Yon-Rogg wore during training in _Captain Marvel_.


	6. Chapter 6: Unsteady as They Come

Chapter 6: Unsteady as They Come

In spite of the tense atmosphere that wafted between the two Moonlanders and Aaron's adoptive brother, it did not sour any moods as they continued to venture around the base, going into the different spaces and taking in the layouts. When it came to the barren sleeping quarters, Penumbra was quick to claim the one that would give her a clear view of the Moon, as remarked by the humanoid. Despite the lack of gold, Lunaris found his temporary base room, located between Aaron and Penumbra's, to be nicely crafted. He pushed away the feeling of loneliness he got from looking at the barren walls reminded him of when his father passed, leaving him alone in his childhood home which had been crafted by his grandfather, General Mareus. As it neared the afternoon, Della took the kids to the kitchen with Gizmoduck while Aaron led the two visitors from the Moon back to the training room.

"What is it you want to show us?" the Moon leader inquired, feeling a guilty relief from the lack of the scientific do-gooder's absence, as they walked towards one of the walls.

"Since you guys are going to be staying here, and since we're friends, I think it's fair to give you access to these," Aaron stated as he held up his key card.

Before either Moonlander could ask, a stream of blue light shot from the wall and scanned over the card before disappearing. Then, without warning, the wall slid away to reveal Aaron's weapons on a metallic rack. The young Kree didn't need to look at them to know they were gaping in pure astonishment.

"These are all yours?" the Moon Lieutenant asked, voice tinged with an impressed and slightly envious tone.

"Yes, they are," the humanoid nodded as he began to gesture to each one. "You probably recognize my shield which Teri fixed. Going to have to thank him for that as soon as he comes to the base."

Taking it down he activated it, causing both Lunaris and Penumbra to reach out and run their gloved fingers over it before the Aaron turned back to the rack and pointed at the graphene blade, Lunaris asking, "What about that one?"

Putting back the shield and grabbing the weapon in question, Aaron activated it as showed it carefully to the two, "Just like how vibranium is the toughest element in my universe, graphene is also one of the sharpest things. At least on the Earth of that universe. You have to be very careful with these. If you look at it in a certain angle, the blade becomes invisible. Observe."

Turning the blade a certain way, both gasped as they saw that the blade did indeed appear to vanish before Aaron deactivated it and placed it back just as the Moon warrioress suddenly grabbed the bow while asking, "What is this?"

"That's my photon bow. It's similar to the normal Earth bow but mine doesn't require me to restock on arrows as the arrows for my bow are forged with photon particle when it's activated. The normal Earth bow shoots sharp objects, mostly wooden or light weighted metal arrows," Aaron explained before seeing that both Moon soldiers looked confused as they were curious. "I'm guessing that Moonlanders don't practice archery?"

Penumbra shook her head, "No. But now that you have introduced us to the concept, I would be willing to try it."

"As would I," Lunaris quickly jumped in.

"Alright," the young Kree nodded with a smile as he put the bow back in place and grabbed the photon rifle. "Like the photon bow, the photon rifle runs on photon particles. And, as oppose to Moon blasters, it requires both hands so you can get good aim on what you want to hit. This goes without saying that you never want to shoot something you don't intend to."

Watching the humanoid handle the gun made the Moon leader and his second-in-command shift uncomfortably as they hid their smaller blasters. Truly, they were becoming more and more impressed with Kree tech. A shame that knew so little about Kree culture…because their friend lacked experience with his own people.

Putting the rifle back, Aaron grabbed the last item, "And, finally, this is my vibranium spear."

At the word "spear" Penumbra drew closer as she gaped and her eyes could have been making love to the weapon as they roamed over it. It was a silvery color with a bluish-purple tint, one end being that of the sharp but artistically structure spear point while the other end had some curved structures that, while not as sharp as the tip, could do some damage. It was also twice as long as the lilac-colored soldier's spear. While Lunaris also found himself entranced by the weapon, he couldn't but notice the look of sorrow in Aaron's eyes.

"It once belonged to my mother, handed down to her by her father, my maternal grandfather," the young auburn-haired man said with a bittersweet, wistful tone that caused both Moonlanders to look at him with sympathy. "Everything else was crafted or upgraded by my godmother. But she could never bring herself to change the spear."

"They must have been great warriors," the mint-colored solder said with sincere softness.

Shooting the other a grateful smile, Aaron turned to Penumbra and offered her the spear, "Here. Why don't you try it out?"

The Moon Lieutenant looked at him in surprise with a glimmer of eagerness, "Are you sure?"

"I believe that Meer-Rah would have agreed with me," the young Kree said as he gently pushed the spear into golden-gloved hands.

Penumbra was quick to grasp it tightly as she brought it closer to her person. Both males took a step back as she began to twirl it and strike with it. A sliver of the long-forgotten, bubbling excitement of her childhood shot up her spine as she continued to swipe, strike, and swing it. By Tranquility, it was exhilarating! Intoxicating, even. She was so into it, she didn't seem to notice the door was opening.

The face of Gizmoduck appeared, casting a wary glance at the Moon Lieutenant for a moment, before calling out to his younger brother, "Hey, Aaron! Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure!" the humanoid said as he ventured towards the door. "You guys wait here."

Lunaris nodded in affirmation as the door closed before turning his attention to Penumbra, "I believe I would like a turn with the spear, Lieutenant."

"Mmm-hmm," the Moon warrioress replied, not having seemed to have actually heard her superior officer or notice the look of abashed annoyance…until he snatched the spear away, despite her grip on it and shouted like a wronged preteen. "Lunaris!"

Like his fellow Moon protector, the Moon General felt something excitable emerge in him as he held the vibranium spear in his hands. As he began to swipe and strike with it, he was surprised by its lightness as well as the thrill of having something so powerful in his grasp. Hands having a firm but controlled grip while he held it close whenever the move called for it. It was almost like if he had Aaron-

The surprising thought caused him to lose his grip on the spear as he pointed it up and the sharp clang and what could only be described as a metallic tear before he looked up and was unpleasantly greeted with the sight of the spear now lodged in the ceiling of the training room, eyes widening as he groaned "Craters."

"Great job, General!" Penumbra was quick to snap, shooting him an aggravated look.

"Oh, come now. It can't be that hard to get it down," the mint-colored male said confidently.

"And what method do you suppose we use to get it down?" the lilac-colored female inquired with a skeptical look, her arms crossed.

Lunaris bit his lip for a moment, wringing his hands, before he smiled and snapped his fingers, "I have a plan. Quick! Get on my shoulders."

Penumbra begrudgingly obeyed as she climbed onto her superior officer's shoulders before he began lifting her higher while walking towards the spear. However, as the female Moonlander began to pull at the spear end, it refused to budge. The tip had lodged so well into the unprotected ceiling that it would not cease its grasp.

Sighing in aggravation, the Moon warrioress jumped off the Moon leader's shoulders as she looked at him with an annoyed look as she spoke, "Well, this is just perfect. You lodged it too far in."

"I already apologized," the mint-colored soldier rebuked, feeling ire bubble its way to the surface. "And if my plans aren't good enough, then kindly offer some of yours."

No sooner did he say that did his lilac-colored counterpart smugly whip out her blaster and shoot a blast near the spear before he lunged forward and yanked it away while shooting her a astonished look, "What are you doing!?"

"Shooting the area around the spear to loosen it," Penumbra replied in a tone as though it was ridiculous for her superior officer to ask.

"You can't just damage Earth property whenever you want! You should know better than that," Lunaris scolded firmly.

"Della said they built this place for us. I'm sure they can fix any damages," the Moon Lieutenant replied nonchalantly.

"That doesn't give you a right to immediately result to desecrating the space around you. We're not in the Wastes anymore," the Moon General chided sternly.

Neither noticed how the spear above them was slowly slipping from the ceiling's grasp.

* * *

"So, what did you need to talk about?" Aaron inquired as he stood facing his brother, just a few meters from the door of the training room.

"I just wanted to check on you," Fenton said, his helmet gone so that his adopted brother could see the brotherly love and concern in his eyes. "And to make sure Lunaris and Penumbra aren't making you lose your hair."

Chuckling, the young Kree replied, "I promise, they're behaving as well as can be."

"Well, that's good to hear," the young intern replied with a smile before adding. "What was going on before I came in?"

"Nothing. Just some sparring, talking, nothing too serious," the young auburn-haired man shrugged.

"No, I mean when I came into the break room," the young Latino drake reiterated. "They were both practically rubbing up against you like Nutmeg."

Nutmeg chose that time to arrive and rub against her master's legs, as though helping to emphasize the mechanical-suited drake's point.

Picking up and stroking her fur, the humanoid continued, "Oh, that? They saw the scar on my arm and I guess they got a little interested. Personally, I think they also may be a little homesick."

"Yeah, I think we all gathered that," the young blooming scientist nodded. "But has anything else happened? Any weird clinginess? Any too pleasant behavior?"

"What are do you mean?" Aaron asked, looking very confused.

"Well," Fenton began slowly and carefully but didn't get far as they heard a shout of pain come from the training room.

Lunaris's shout.

Running over to the door, they opened it to discover the Moon leader clutching his left arm while the spear lay on the ground. Penumbra stared in surprise and regret at the whole thing, one hand covering her mouth. Handing the female Flerken to Fenton, the young Kree quickly made his way over to Lunaris, one hand touching the hand covering what could only be an injury while the other gently cupped the male Moonlander's face in an attempt to soothe him. It did indeed help as the mint-colored soldier's scrunched up features visibly relaxed as he almost melted into the gentle touch.

"What happened?" Aaron demanded worriedly but calmly.

"It was my fault," Lunaris spoke, face calm but hand still grasping his arm. "I was training with the spear and I got it lodged into the ceiling. We weren't paying attention to it when it fell and the tip cut my arm."

"And I blasted the ceiling," Penumbra admitted, sounding a little regretful and embarrassed.

"It's fine. I'm not mad and it's neither of your faults," the young Kree soothed as a voice in his head replied to the last sentence, _It's my fault._

"I'm getting Alexei," the techno hero said as he put his helmet back on and hurried out of the training room with Nutmeg in his arms.

The humanoid only nodded as he reached to pull back the golden-gloved hand, "Okay, let me see how-"

He didn't finish as the sight of the cut caused him to step back suddenly, eyes widening in surprise and a little bit of concern that Lunaris caught onto. The Moon General peeled back his hand, expecting to see a deep and horrific gash that would need stitches. However, when he laid eyes on his wound, he no longer cared about the severity as he did so much anymore.

Not when he saw dark pine green staining his arm and glove.

* * *

"Oxidization," came the accented-reply.

"What?" the Moon warrioress echoed in confusion, a new expression finally painting over the concerned one she had all during the time from when they all saw the change of color to that moment as she, Aaron, and Gizmoduck were present in the medical wing with Sokolov and Gearloose.

"The Earth's air must have caused a reaction that causes Moonlander blood to change from your typical gold color to green when exposed to our air," the Russian medic said logically. "Other than that, there seems to be nothing wrong. I'll double check the blood test and scan but everything appears to be in order."

The humanoid felt all his anxiety leave him his body via his breath of relief, "Oh, thank the stars."

Lunaris looked from where his gaze had been on his gauze covered gash to the humanoid's relieved and gentle features. As guilty as he felt about worrying the other, it was…charming to see the other show such concern and compassion towards him. Oh, yes, the civilians of the Moon would also show immense concern and fear when he or his second-in-command returned with some injury. But for Aaron…it was more endearing.

At that moment, Della and Launchpad entered with the kids in tow, Huey being the first to speak, "What's going on? We passed Manny in the hallway and he mentioned Lunaris was hurt."

"Everything's fine," Gyro reassured them. "There was an accident with Aaron's spear, but thankfully not a fatal one."

"Ouch!" Louie said, wincing as he had seen the sharpness of the weapon on the video of Aaron and Teri fighting Apexis.

"Yes, ouch," the doctor nodded before turning to the young auburn-haired man as he gestured to something on the other side of the medbay. "While you're here, I can show you what Nutmeg regurgitated."

The young Kree's eyes followed Alexei's gestures before they fell on the object. It was a large metal cabinet that nearly touched the ceiling. It had also the physical descriptions that Sokolov mentioned and appeared to have two doors. Walking towards it, a loud _whoosh _of misty air suddenly spurted out as a mechanical unlocking sound was heard, causing everyone in the room to gasp and tense up. Slowly, Aaron reached out, grabbed both door handles, and pulled them open. To everyone's relief and curiosity, they found that it was filled with what could only be described as Kree medicine and medical instruments. There was even what looked to be cooling unit which the humanoid opened to reveal several plastic bags of a very familiar looking dark blue fluid.

Going forward to stand beside Aaron, Della inquired, "Is this what I think it is?"

"If you're thinking this is a Kree medical aid and supplies unit, then yes, it is," the young auburn-haired man nodded as he closed it. "It's got more than enough supplies for two Kree. Mar-Vell knew there was a chance we would never see Hala again."

The mother of triplets reached to touch her friend's arm while saying softly, "Aaron."

Aaron turned to lock eyes when a searing shot of pain surged through his skull. He failed to bite back a startled and pain gasped as his hands darted to his temples, squeezing his eyes shut at the throbbing. The startled and worried voices of his friends and family were cut short when they were replaced with a strange ringing that had a tinge of something akin to crackling static. It felt similar to when he was fighting the Solenestrite Titan only worse. There was a moment of white-hot pain that seemed to glow brighter and brighter, as though trying to swallow his mind body and soul.

Then it slowly faded to darkness. Upon opening his eyes, he found that he was kneeling on the ground and felt several hands on his arm, shoulder, and neck. Looking up, he saw the startled, scared, and fearful looks of everyone who was present in the medbay. Even the normally unphased Gyro looked distressed. Nutmeg was currently rubbing herself gently against him as though to comfort his distress.

"Hermanito, what happened?" the young intern asked worriedly.

"I don't know," the humanoid managed to get out, his throat feeling a little dry as he stood up. "I just got this massive headache."

"A headache that painful could be mixture of stress and something else," Alexei murmured worriedly. "Come, let's lay you down. Dr. Gearloose, I need a hand. Gizmoduck, please escort everyone out so we can focus on our patient."

"On it!" the scientific crime-fighter said as he began ushering everyone out.

"W-Wait!" Webby whimpered as she reached out to her surrogate big brother.

"Don't worry," the techno hero soothed. "They'll take good care of him."

As they got to the door, Lunaris and Penumbra began to halt, the former saying, "Aaron was there by my side while I was being examined. I want to do the same for him."

Gizmoduck was visibly less gentle as he said firmly, "Dr. Gearloose and Dr. Sokolov don't need you breathing down their necks and getting under foot. Out the door. Go. Before you cause a scene."

The mint-colored and lilac-colored soldiers whipped around as they stood at the door frame, mouths set in firm lines and eyes narrowed defiantly. Fenton returned the silent intimidation by straightening his shoulders glowering at them behind his visor. The kids visibly backed behind the two pilots, all six looking like they wanted to vanish from the scene.

"What's happening over there?" the voice of the young auburn-haired man called out as he tried to look over the two doctors but was quickly but softly pushed to lay down.

Seeing their friend distressed, both Moonlanders shared a look of worry and defeat before they sullenly made their way out. As the doors closed, only Lunaris looked back desperately.

* * *

The kids were finishing an early lunch when the mechanical-suited drake entered the kitchen/dining room, "Aaron's okay."

A wave of relief washed throughout the cooking and eating space, Lunaris managed to relax his grip on his cup before water spilled all over while the retired agent's granddaughter asked, "What was wrong?"

Since being forced out of the medbay, Della decided to fix the kids lunch. Thankfully, Aaron and Fenton had already stocked the fridge with food, courtesy of the farmer's market, non-perishable foods gifted to them, and leftovers that were almost gone. It was quick to just fix the kids and herself some sandwiches and homemade crackers courtesy of the cheese (she had finally succeeded, with advice from Beakley, on how to make homemade cheese crackers). Lunaris had settled for some water, to worried about Aaron to consume any food. Penumbra had opted for some strawberry swirl cheesecake while Launchpad grabbed some chips and a Pep. While the ducks talked amongst themselves, they did not dare bother either Moonlander. The only one brave enough to approach the obviously upset and agitated visitors from the Moon was Nutmeg who was given a small piece of cheesecake by the female of the duo. The Flerken was now cozying up to her owner's adoptive brother who cradled her as he looked at the group.

"Nothing serious," came the scientific do-gooder's reassurance. "He was just woozy due to overworking himself and not having enough nutrition in his body."

"How did that happen?" Louie asked. "I mean, he's a busy guy, we all know that, but how did he burn out that fast."

"Isn't it obvious? With all his new free time, he's probably working himself ragged to keep himself alert and pass time," Dewey piped up.

"But alas, the noble hero, in his strife, puts his health at risk," Huey jumped in.

Upon hearing the eldest triplet's remark, the Moon leader felt himself tense up once more as he asked, "Where's Aaron right now?"

"In the library," the young Latino drake stated coolly. "I'm going to bring him something so he can have some energy."

Without saying anything, and before anyone could stop him, Lunaris went over to where the tablet was located, snatched it up, and proceeded to leave but not without sharing a quick and tense glance. The kids all shared a look of befuddlement and concern. It was not a fun thing for them to watch adults get into serious fights and arguments. And to see one of their city's heroes act aggressively towards one of their mother's friends was definitely uncomfortable. They hoped that the two males would come to at least tolerate and respect each other or the Moonlanders' stay would be a long one.

* * *

Lunaris thanked the Moon for the instructions or he was certain he would have gotten lost and would have then needed a search party to get him out of the base. How the Earthers managed to use so many different materials to make different spaces remained a puzzle to him. No matter, he would get use to it during the rest of his time on Earth. That much he was sure. But right now, that wasn't his focus. Coming to the door that was marked _Library_, he reached out to open it, but then thought better and knocked instead.

"It's open," responded a familiar voice.

At that the male Moon guardian slid the door open and walked in, taking in the space around him. His olfactory senses were filled with the strong scent of paper and wood. Huey had mentioned how many of Earth's resources could be made into various things. Lunaris couldn't help but be impressed as he took a deep whiff of the strange but calming scent. Catching sight of a coatrack, he felt inclined to take off his cape, causing the golden strip connecting it to his lower shorts to evaporate, much like the shield of the city. Moon tech was simple and use in variation as such. Moonlander literature was kept on golden discs as their housing units were constructed of the same material. He was startled as he heard a light pitter patter outside the window, causing him to turn to face it. The mint-colored soldier felt his eyes widen as he saw water hitting the window glass. Striding over, he thought he would see a wayward sprinkler (he _almost _had the misfortune of being caught in the direction of one that morning when he strode out for a breath of morning air), but was greeted with dark skies and too many droplets to count.

"It's rain."

Lunaris whirled around to see Aaron sitting in a comfy-looking reading chair with a book titled _Feather Height 451_, smiling good-naturedly at him as he continued, "It's a common weather, usually around the winter and spring seasons, though sometimes the Earth defies meteorological studies at random times. But the more water for the plants before the Sun dries it up, the better."

The slightly older and taller male nodded as he felt like a fool. He recalled Della telling him and his people about Earth's strange weathers. He pushed his unspoken humiliation aside as he strode over to Aaron, plopping down in the reading chair just a few feet in front of him. The young Kree contemplated going back to his book, but saw the softness of those teal orbs and decided to set the novel aside.

"Is it good?" the Moon General inquired with a friendly smile and tone.

"By my tastes, yes. I wouldn't want to say it's good in mass because everyone's literary interests are different," the humanoid said logically in a kind voice.

_Moon be blessed, he's so considerate,_ Lunaris's mind purred.

"But something tells me you're here for more than to talk about books," Aaron said with a small smirk.

"You're right," the Moon leader nodded. "I came here to make sure you were alright. You had all of us worried."

The mint-colored soldier regretted his words as a guilty look made its way onto the young auburn-haired man's face, "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. I guess not all of the stress from a few days ago left me. But, to be honest, I rather something be physically wrong with me than anyone else."

"Don't say that!" Lunaris said in alarm, shooting up from the chair.

Aaron pressed further into his, shock and alarm on his face as he remained speechless. Despite the volume, the male Moonlander's tone was not angry, but horrified. Their eyes met and the young Kree could see fear and concern in the other's teal eyes while the Moonlander saw surprise and a little bit of guilt in the others.

"I-I'm sorry," Lunaris said sincerely as he sat back down. "Forgive me. I did not mean to raise my voice."

"No, it was my fault," the humanoid reassured. "I didn't mean to word it like that. What I was trying to say is that I don't want you and Penumbra getting hurt here on Earth. Even with the medical information you two and Della provide, I don't want to risk you and her returning to Tranquility in poor condition or worse."

"I can assure you that Penumbra and I are more durable than you think," the Moon leader said firmly with a proud smile before saying softly. "But I'm touched by how deeply you care for us."

Once again, a luscious dark shade of blue painted Aaron's face, making the mint-colored soldier feel like someone filled his stomach with butterflies (he learned that term from Launchpad as he expressed how excited he was to see the base). He enjoyed this feeling of having his words touch the other and vice versa, feeling gold creep onto his own face. His eyes drifted to see that a small part of his left pant leg was pulled up, revealing what looked to be another scar. Seeing where the male Moonlander's eyes drifted to, the humanoid reached to pull his pant leg down.

"Wait," the mint-colored soldier half-ordered, half-pleaded. "Don't hide it."

Biting his lip, the young auburn-haired man slowly rolled up his pant leg to reveal his scar, and by extension, his tattoo. He surprised himself when Lunaris leaned forward and traced the scar, eyes looking at it with morbid amazement. Ditto the tattoo.

When teal eyes looked into his pale blue ones, he explained, "Not that long ago before Black Heron's attempt on Earth. And that little decal is a tattoo. It's when you have someone graph words or pictures that hold some meaning onto their skin. Not gonna lie; it does more than sting."

"I see," Lunaris breathed, hand unconsciously sliding up his leg-

They were jolted out of their bubble when they heard the door open, Lunaris nearly body-slamming his seat as he went back to sitting down. Fenton appeared with a plate of some vegetable, chicken, pasta and cheese casserole that had been given to them by a neighbor a can of Pep, and some chocolate cherry shortbread (once again made by a neighbor). He didn't seem to show any signs that he knew what transpired just seconds ago. Not Even bothering to acknowledge the Moon General he went over to his brother and promptly served him the food before taking a seat.

"You doing better, Hermanito?" Fenton asked as his helmet retracted and he nuzzled his brother, not seeing Lunaris tense up.

"Yes, I am," Aaron confirmed with a grin.

_Much _better.

* * *

Later that day, as everyone was getting ready to head home, Lunaris discovered that he had left his cloak in the library and was heading there to retrieve it when he saw that one of the rooms' door was cracked open ever so slightly. It clicked that this was the room that Aaron had chosen to be his home-away-from-home. For some reason, the mint-colored soldier disregarded all that he had been taught about respecting privacy and quietly crept over and peeked through the crack. He was unsurprised, and very happy, to see that it was indeed Aaron.

On the young Kree's barren mattress was the trademark suit, but Lunaris was not focused on that. He was eyeing the young auburn-haired man who was currently topless. The male Moonlander instantly felt his mouth become dryer than the Wastes as he took in the warm colored skin, intimidating but welcoming muscles, and the light specks of freckles adorning the other male's shoulders. Aaron didn't even seem to notice he was being watched, too busy placing all the items he had on the bed into a gym bag. Once he was done, Lunaris felt himself choke on his non-existent spit and his heart rise into his throat as the humanoid began to pull down his training pants.

"Lunaris?"

Biting his lip to impede the escape of a surprised yelp, the Moon General whipped around to see the startled and confused face of his second-in-command. Without warning, he grabbed her while clamping a hand over her mouth and whisked her faster than one could say the name of their city to hide behind a corner at the end of the hallway. Pressing himself against the wall, which felt cool against his hot and cloak-less back, he kept his hold on her Penumbra as he continued to keep her silent. Thankfully, training taught her to tell when to fight and when to oblige with one's captor so she made no move to retaliate against him. The Moon leader carefully listened for any creak of a door and or voice calling out. But there was none.

Sighing in relief, he let go of the Moon warrioress who turned to him and hissed, "What was that about?"

"I, um, well, you see-," the male Moon guardian stuttered before coughing into his closed fist, as if hoping to clear away his nervousness, before saying in a calmer tone. "I was just planning to land a surprise strike on Aaron."

The Moon Lieutenant looked at her superior officer in question, "Surprise strike?"

"Yes!" Lunaris said, hoping he looked as confident and sincere in his answer as he sounded. "I enjoyed the sparring today. And I thought I could see if I could get a little more in before we left today."

For a brief moment she had an unsure look on her face, making him fear she would not buy his excuse, until a look of understanding tinted with jealousy fixed onto her features as she folded her arms and replied, "You should have told me. We could have tried to surprise him together to see how he would handle it."

Fighting back a strange wave of territorial instinct and a need to sigh in relief, Lunaris replied, "Is there something you needed?"

"Yes," Penumbra nodded. "It's about Moonshield."

"Oh?" the mint-colored inquired with genuine curiosity.

The lilac-colored soldier firmly nodded as she continued, "I know you and I have been thinking the same thing."

And just like that, the territorial urges he felt for the young Kree returned with a vengeance.

"We should bring him back to the Moon," the female Moon guardian said finally.

Once again, the Moon General felt like he dodged a bullet but he couldn't help but be drawn to the subject, "You think so?"

"I _know _so," the Moon Lieutenant replied proudly. "Have you seen him? He is just as much a warrior as we are. In fact, I bet we could make him happier than these Earthers can."

While he was about to scold his second-in-command for her Earth-deprecation, those words stirred something inside Lunaris. The idea of bringing Aaron back to Tranquility was a very tempting idea. It only seemed fair as the young Kree never got to see the city on either occasion when he was on the Moon. Surely, if Aaron had been among different species, then surely being around more Moonlanders would not be of any harm.

"It does seem like a good idea," the Moon leader confessed before recalling a certain detail. "But-,"

The Moon warrioress didn't bother to wait for her fellow protector's response as she went around the corner, "Let's go ask him right now!"

Lunaris was on her tail and almost ran smack into from behind when she stopped upon seeing a familiar face. Fenton stood before them, suited up but helmet-less like he had been in the library. He was giving both of them a cool glance with arms folded, giving off the sense that while this was a civil meeting, it was anything but friendly. The male Moonlander had his arms at his side non-hostilely, but his female counterpart was visibly balling her fists as she shot him a less-than nice look.

"Della, the kids, Mr. McDuck, and everybody else are already outside heading home," the young intern told them patiently. "Aaron's already left. Our mom needed the van so he took it."

The mint-colored soldier felt a tinge of regret that he had ran instead of bidding his friend good-bye, but at the same time he didn't think he would have the mental clarity to get the words out after he nearly saw the other in the nude. He looked to see that Penumbra also seemed to be displeased that they had lost the opportunity to talk to the young auburn-haired man about their proposition.

"Will he be back here tomorrow?" Penumbra inquired, impatience wiggling out into her tone.

Before her fellow soldier had a chance to scold her, the young Latino drake replied back with a hint of sharpness, "Well, this is _his _space too."

Stepping forward to keep his sister-in-arms from throwing an insult or a punch, Lunaris spoke kindly, "We really do enjoy spending time with your brother."

The young blooming scientist barely relaxed an inch as he replied, "Is that it?"

"I beg your pardon?" the Moon General uttered in surprise, pleasant expression giving way to one of puzzlement.

"Is there anything else going on?" Fenton asked, voice becoming tinged with something that the two Moonlanders couldn't quite place.

"I don't believe so," the Moon leader said carefully, still not knowing what the other was saying.

Fortunately, the answer seemed to suffice for the young intern as he began to turn away whilst saying, "Alright. See you later."

Both Moonlanders turn to one another with looks that said that they couldn't offer one another an explanation of what happened.

"You forgot this by the way."

They turned around in time to see a familiar golden cloak fly towards them, landing on top of its owner's head which covered his upper body, shoulders and all. Ripping his cloak off his head, the Moon leader saw the young male Earther disappear around the corner and that Penumbra looked like she had been the one ungracefully wrapped in the cloak.

That's when Lunaris knew that things were going to get hard before they got easier.

* * *

Here's Chapter 6! In the episode of "The Golden Spear" I notice that Lunaris's wound had gold spot which I believe were blood, hence gold blood. And due to Earther/human/anthro blood being red, Kree blood being blue, I thought I would make Moonlander blood green when exposed to Earth atmosphere. Call it a morbid reference to Huey, Dewey, and Louie's colors. And the book mentioned is a parody of _Fahrenheit 451_. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!


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